A Light in the Darkness: Shadowed
by LadyAlambiel
Summary: In the aftermath of rescuing Queen Lucy from an evil sorcerer, Katerina Alambiel struggles to find her place while some of the Narnians closest to the Pevensies still question her motives. And, finding herself in the middle of an assassination plot against the High King himself doesn't exactly help her to fit in. *REVISED
1. Prologue: Clouds on the Horizon

Disclaimer: I don't own Narnia or any characters you may recognize from the books or the movies, I wish I did but I don't... I also don't own the Narnian Calendar. It belongs to Elecktrum who was kind enough to let me borrow it for my story. Her own stories are awesome and you should go read them too.

Summary: In the aftermath of rescuing Queen Lucy from an evil sorcerer, Katerina Alambiel struggles to find her place while some of the Narnians closest to the Pevensies still question her motives. And, finding herself in the middle of an assassination plot against the High King himself doesn't exactly help her to fit in.

Warning: There will be mentions of torture, murder, and some scary moments. So, this is a mid to high T.

_What's Gone on Before_

Shot entering a courthouse in our world, a stranger comes to Narnia one year into the Pevensies' reign. This stranger, Katerina Alambiel, gains the trust of young Queen Lucy even though others suspect she might be a witch. Still, she is allowed to remain in Cair Paravel as a guest. Oreius begins to earn her trust as she earns his. When the evil sorcerer, Jannes, takes Lucy, Katerina Alambiel is accused of being an accomplice even as she crafts a plan to rescue the Valiant Queen. Infiltrating the sorcerer's lair, Katerina Alambiel leaves a trail for Oreius and the Kings allowing them to rescue Lucy. Katerina Alambiel pursues and kills Jannes with Oreius' aid (Full story: _Awakening_).

_**A Light in the Darkness: Shadowed**_

Prologue: Clouds on the Horizon

Narnia

12 Twirleaf 1001

Two cloaked and hooded figures faced each other across a room lit only by flickering purple and black flames. The larger of the two spoke first. "Jannes has fallen."

His smaller companion shrugged and nonchalantly waved a hand at the unlit torches. "This we knew since his torches went out yesterday, besides Jannes was a fool to think his plan would work."

"But, his plan did work...until the end."

"The only part of his plan that worked, brother, was where he successfully maneuvered for the return of that girl. Then, the fool decided to steal the youngest royal and use her as bait to destroy the other children. I am not surprised Jannes died before he could accomplish anything other than irritating those children, the Centaur, and even his precious Katerina Alambiel. The fool was never the same after that Esti and Kyros debacle. His focus was tainted. Now we need a new plan for taking back Narnia before those brats reach their potential and before the Lion returns for a visit."

The larger figure chuckled. "You are a cold woman, sister. But, you should be pleased that _I_ have already come up with a plan for destroying the children that is foolproof."

The cloaked woman turned to him and her skepticism nearly dripped off her words. "Oh really? And, just what is this grand plan of yours, Jambres? I hope it's better than using Werewolves because obviously that doesn't work very well."

Jambres loomed over his smaller companion and a menacing tone entered his deep voice. "Do not underestimate me, Medea. Jannes' plan didn't work because he attacked the youngest child, the most protected of them all. My plan will work because the protector of the royals will be killed and, as far as Narnia is concerned, it will be Katerina Alambiel who's the guilty party."

Medea looked up at Jambres then turned away to ring a small bell. She looked over her shoulder at Jambres. "I hope you know a good assassin if you truly plan on killing the High King and making it look like Jannes' rebellious little pet was the culprit."

Jambres straightened to his full height of six feet and seven inches. "I know more than one. They will be perfectly capable of taking care of it."

Medea raised a cautioning hand, "Just remember that we need Katerina Alambiel back under our control, not dead. Make sure your assassins know."

"I know how to carry out my own plan, Medea. But, how exactly do you intend to contribute to this mission?"

A side door opened and two Werewolves walked into the room. Medea never turned away from Jambres as she addressed the Fell Beasts. "Isak, Brutus, you know what to do." The two Werewolves bowed first to Medea then to Jambres before they ran from the room.

Jambres barked a laugh as he realized the meaning of her actions. "That is your plan, Medea? Well, at least it will provide a good distraction for _my_ plan to be carried out to perfection. I say the High King will be on his deathbed by the time your plan even comes into play. But, either way Narnia will be ours by the New Year."

"Yes, and not even the Lion will be able to stop us this time. Narnia will be ours by Mayblossom or even Quickening."

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**A/N: And, I'm back! So, this story won't be as consistently dark as the last one, but there will be angst especially for Katerina. I hope this story will live up to your expectations and maybe even surprise you a bit. Click the little review button below and let me know if you are intrigued and what y'all think is going to happen next.**


	2. Chapter One: Consequences

Disclaimer: I don't own Narnia or any characters you may recognize from the books or the movies, I wish I did but I don't... I also don't own the Narnian Calendar. It belongs to Elecktrum who was kind enough to let me borrow it for my story. Her own stories are awesome and you should go read them too.

Summary: In the aftermath of rescuing Queen Lucy from an evil sorcerer, Katerina Alambiel struggles to find her place while some of the Narnians closest to the Pevensies still question her motives. And, finding herself in the middle of an assassination plot against the High King himself doesn't exactly help her to fit in.

Warning: There will be mentions of torture, murder, and some scary moments. So, this is a mid to high T.

Chapter One: Consequences

19 Twirleaf 1001

The sense of déjà vu was undeniable as Katerina Alambiel found herself standing before the four Kings and Queens of Narnia and their council in the same oval-shaped room as she had when she first arrived in Cair Paravel. She could barely believe it had only been eighteen days ago, after everything that occurred it felt more like a year or two had passed. The image of Jannes' face flashed through her mind but she forced it away as High King Peter began speaking. "Katerina Alambiel, when you first arrived in Cair Paravel you agreed to adhere to a set of restrictions appointed for the safety of Narnia and yourself. Since that time, you have summarily committed the following acts of questionable sanity as you were involved in the kidnapping of our youngest Sister, escaped from the Narnians holding you prisoner, consorted with Werewolves, and were part of a sorcerer's plot to overthrow Narnia's rightful rulers. Each being a violation of the restrictions you agreed to in its own right and together are a veritable and blatant disregard of those restrictions."

Katerina resisted the urge to look over at Oreius when the High King stopped his litany of her _crimes_ and then Queen Susan spoke up in a similarly stern tone. "Furthermore, Katerina Alambiel, we have learned that you have committed the additional acts of planning an elaborate scheme for rescuing our youngest Sister, leading our royal brothers and the soldiers with them to the sorcerer's lair, leaving a trail of your own blood to the heart of the labyrinth as a guide, pretending not only to consort with Werewolves but with the sorcerer as well to lull them into a false sense of security, protecting our beloved Sister from the same sorcerer, averting said sorcerer's plot to overthrow our family and bring destruction to Narnia, and, finally, confronting and killing the sorcerer Jannes." Susan paused and smiled at Katerina before continuing, "Each act in itself would not be enough to counter the violations to the restrictions you agreed to, however, all of them together cast your role in these recent events in a new light. Therefore, it is with utmost sincerity that we offer our heartfelt thanks for saving our Sister and, in turn, Narnia."

Before Katerina could say anything, Lucy jumped into the conversation with a lot less formality than her eldest siblings. "We want you to stay with us in Cair Paravel! Say you will, Kat!"

Katerina smiled in spite of herself as Lucy's excitement was impossible to resist. She looked at Edmund who was giving Lucy a look of mock exasperation. "You just couldn't help yourself for a little longer, Lu?" He turned to Katerina, "Basically, we are formally extending an invitation for you to stay in Cair Paravel and Narnia for as long as you desire to be here or until Lucy drives you crazy."

Peter and Susan both nodded, then Peter added, "Of course, you only have to stay if you actually want to be here. It's a true invitation this time, and you can forget about most of the restrictions except for reporting to Oreius for training and the guards will only accompany you when you leave the Cair or if you are with one or the lot of us. The final decision is yours, Katerina Alambiel."

Katerina titled her head and shrugged, "Well, I actually don't have anywhere else to go and y'all are starting to grow on me, so I suppose I could stay for a while at least."

Lucy cheered and hopped off her throne to throw her arms around Katerina's waist in a surprisingly strong hug. Katerina was still getting use to the idea of hugging and the other touchy-feely stuff that Lucy, in particular, excelled at, so it took a moment for her to return the hug. Lucy finally let go when Peter started talking again, "And, now that Lucy is happy, there is one more thing you need to know about, Katerina. Alaois' military hearing is being held this afternoon, and there will be an opportunity for the wronged party to speak if they wish to do so. Whatever your decision, you need to know that hearing will take place at three hours past noon. Susan and Lucy will be tending to matters of court this afternoon instead of sitting in on the hearing, so no one will think any less of you if you choose not to come."

Katerina slowly nodded, "I understand. Can I give you my decision later?"

"Of course." Satisfied with her answers, Peter promptly dismissed the council and Katerina had another experience of déjà vu when Lucy tugged her out of the room chattering happily. But, Katerina couldn't seem to concentrate completely on the conversation as images of Jannes and of Alaois warred for dominance in her mind. She couldn't help feeling that today was going to be a very long day.

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The mood in the main hall of the army barracks was charged with tension and the normally spacious room felt close as nearly every soldier in Cair Paravel not on duty was present. It would be the joint decision of the senior officers and the kings that determined the fate of Satyr Alaois' career as a soldier, but there was no doubt in Oreius' mind that the decision would have an effect on the entire Narnian army. Nevertheless, he didn't pretend to know of what nature or to what extent the effect would take. After over an hour of testimony by those who witnessed Alaois' actions, including his own testimony, the time to make a decision was nearly at hand. Oreius was hard-pressed to keep his emotions under control as he listened and remembered the abuse Alaois had dealt Katerina Alambiel. He was still furious with the Satyr for breaking both courtesy and the rules binding him not only as a soldier but also as an officer. However, he was also furious with himself for allowing a situation to arise where Alaois had the opportunity to vent his anger against Katerina, it would not happen again.

The Faun Captain Cletus frowned as the last of the witnesses, Captain Ardon, finished testifying. Oreius suspected the Faun was as troubled by Alaois' actions as he was, and he gave him a small nod when the Faun glanced over at him. It was time to allow Alaois to make a defense of his actions or perhaps another would speak on his behalf, though judging by the looks the Satyr was receiving, Oreius did not expect many of those present would be willing to do so. Cletus conferred quietly with Alaois then stepped forward and the crowd stilled as they waited for him to speak. "The Satyr Alaois has chosen not to speak in defense of his actions, and he will instead abide by whatever decision his superior officers and the kings make without protest. However, according to the laws of Narnia, it is allowed for others to speak on behalf of the accused soldier. Are there any here today who will speak for the Satyr Alaois?"

Oreius' suspicions were confirmed when not one of the soldiers present stepped forward or called out. Alaois had lost their respect and, with it, any chance of their support. Even those soldiers who privately believed Katerina Alambiel was a witch would not speak on his behalf because of the beating he delivered to a bound and gagged prisoner and his defiance of the warnings given to him not only by his general but also by his kings. Cletus waited several more minutes then he shook his head. "Since there are none who will speak for Satyr Alaois, it is time for-"

A sudden shout from the far end of the hall cut Cletus off, and then the soldiers parted to reveal Katerina Alambiel quickly walking towards the front of the hall. "Wait! I wish to speak."

Oreius had wondered if Katerina would come, now he folded his arms and watched as Cletus protested. "Lady Katerina, you declined to speak as the wounded party, I'm afraid you cannot speak now."

Katerina stared at Cletus as she answered in a voice loud enough to carry through the hall. "I'm afraid you misunderstood my intentions, sir. I do not wish to speak for myself, I wish to speak on behalf of the Satyr Alaois."

In one statement, Katerina Alambiel managed to create an instant uproar as soldiers passed on her words to others and the majority of the senior officers had same look of shock as Cletus and Alaois. Oreius smirked as he met Katerina's gaze, he wasn't surprised that Katerina had come to the trial only to speak for the one who had injured her. The one thing he had learned in the short time that he had known her was that Katerina Alambiel almost never did what was expected of her in any given situation. She should have come to this hearing as the victim, the wounded party, and instead she comes to speak on behalf of the one who had caused her harm.

King Edmund raised a hand and the clamor instantly quieted, "If Katerina Alambiel has chosen to speak on behalf of the Satyr Alaois, that is her right by law and we will hear her out." He gestured for her to approach as Cletus returned to his place among the senior officers. Then Katerina managed to surprise even Oreius as she stopped next to Alaois with only three feet separating them.

Oreius felt a sense of pride when Katerina held her head up and unflinchingly met the gaze of every one of the senior officers, including himself. She did not shrink back from the challenge she had just given herself, and she spoke with the simple yet passionate confidence that Oreius was growing accustomed to hearing from her. "I know it is not the norm for wounded parties to speak on behalf of those responsible for their injuries, but in this case, I must do so. The Satyr Alaois committed his actions due to the influence of prejudices, fears, and grief. I do not hold him responsible for having prejudices, fears, or grief. I do hold him responsible for allowing himself to be so influenced by those factors that he willingly played the role of a bully and broke his own code of honor. The Satyr Alaois doesn't like me, to say the least, but he's not the first person who has chosen to dislike me nor will he be the last. Personally, I don't care if he likes me or not, and I doubt his opinion of me will be changed by what happens here. I came here to ask you to show leniency when deciding how to punish the Satyr Alaois because I know that he is not heartless nor is he cruel. When his anger cooled enough that he realized exactly what kind of treatment he had dealt me, I saw regret for his actions. That is the reason I stand here today. Satyr Alaois was foolish to allow his anger and grief to control him and to listen to those prejudices and fears, but I believe he can learn from his mistakes and be a better person and a better soldier."

Oreius flicked his tail but remained silent as King Edmund spoke up. "What punishment would you suggest for him then?"

Katerina's gaze never wavered as she answered, "I am aware that Satyr Alaois' conduct has made him inappropriate for an officer and I believe he should be relegated to the ranks of common soldier. However, I would allow for the possibility of his regaining the rank of officer if his conduct improved and he no longer allowed his prejudices and fears to exercise such vast control over his actions. Everyone deserves a second chance, don't you agree? Let this be Alaois' second chance."

Oreius was impressed with Katerina's ability to speak so sincerely on behalf of the Satyr who had caused her such hurt. He knew she had been hurt in her past, the haunted looks that sometimes appeared in her eyes and the scars on her hands made it obvious, but he wondered if her experiences were in some way responsible for her unusual reaction to the situation with Alaois. He knew his fellow officers were struggling to understand the young woman who, by most respects, should be calling for the harshest of punishments, but instead called for mercy and the giving of second chances. Cletus stepped forward and nodded at Katerina Alambiel, who understood it for the dismissal it was and quickly stepped back into the throng of soldiers behind her. The Faun captain cleared his throat, "All have had their chance to speak, now the senior officers will confer with their majesties and a decision will be handed down on the matter of Satyr Alaois."

The senior officers quickly gathered and conferred for several minutes in hushed tones. Once the decision was reached, Oreius was satisfied with the outcome although it had not been the one he originally expected. The soldiers who had been talking amongst themselves stilled and turned to face the front of the hall as King Edmund stood to announce the council's decision. "Satyr Alaois, this council has determined you committed acts unworthy of any officer and in violation of Narnian law and military code conduct. However, because the injured party has spoken on your behalf and asked for mercy, this council has determined the following punishment to be sufficient. Satyr Alaois, you are hereby stripped of your rank of captain and are further demoted from the officer ranks to the rank of soldier. Still, in accordance with the plea made on your behalf, this council has determined to leave the possibility open for you to regain the rank of officer if your conduct is found to be satisfactory and worthy of such promotion by all senior officers. This hearing is dismissed."

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Oreius left the main hall of the barracks and quickly tracked Katerina Alambiel down in one of the empty training yards. He paused and looked her over, trying to decide how much of his concerns were accurate. Most of her wounds received during the incident with Jannes, including those she sustained from Alaois, were completely healed leaving only a few bruises and shallow scratches behind. Alithia had informed him that she believed Katerina was simply a fast healer but she still wasn't eating enough and Oreius himself was concerned by the dark shadows under her eyes. He had waited for Katerina to say something, but it seemed she had chosen to be stubborn so now he would broach the subject. She turned to face him as soon as his hooves hit the stones lining the training yard, "Walk with me."

Without a word, Katerina fell into step with him as he led them away from the training yard and into one of the lower terrace gardens. They walked in silence until Oreius felt they were far enough away from any listening ears. "Katerina Alambiel, what is the first rule of survival?"

She gave him a puzzled look before answering, "To stay alert."

Oreius nodded then he stopped and stared down at her, "So, tell me, how do you intend to stay alert if you continue to neglect your health by not eating and not sleeping? All the training in the world will do you no good if you aren't strong enough to lift your sword. I have no intention of losing any of my students to stupidity, and I'm certainly not going to lose my newest student before she has the chance to prove herself because she won't take care of herself." Oreius allowed the sternness in his voice to fade a little as they started walking again. "Which is why I brought you out here. I want to know why you aren't sleeping or eating, Katerina Alambiel, and then I will find a way to help you."

Katerina played with the golden pendants of the lion and cross around her neck before she sighed, "I'm afraid to sleep. I keep having nightmares and I don't want to have them anymore so I've been staying up until I'm too exhausted to do anything but sleep. But, it doesn't always work and I have the nightmares anyway and then I wake up terrified and exhausted."

"What are your nightmares about, Katerina Alambiel?"

Katerina shuddered, "I keep dreaming about the Monster from my past, but then he morphs into Jannes when I killed him. He always says "Esti" but then he looks back at me and tells me I'm a murderer and just like him. When I try to argue, he just points to the blood on my hands, and then he laughs as I see other people appear and call me a murderer before they turn their backs on me. Before you ask, the other people are usually you, the Kings and Queens, and sometimes a few people from my past. After I wake up from the nightmares, I can't go back to sleep, Oreius. I'm too terrified of what else will happen if I close my eyes."

Oreius placed his hand on Katerina's shoulder and turned her to face him completely. "Listen to me, these nightmares are lies. You are not a murderer, Katerina Alambiel, you defended yourself against Jannes who was a murderer and was trying to kill you. That is self-defense and no one will say otherwise. You are nothing like Jannes, which you just proved at the hearing." He tightened his grip on her shoulder slightly as he watched tears form and the haunted look reappeared in her eyes. "You are not alone, Katerina Alambiel, and I promise you that I will never turn my back on you. I will see if Sherket is willing to stay with you tonight, so she can guard your dreams and remind you that you are not alone." Katerina smiled slightly and nodded her agreement to the plan as she swiped away the few tears that had escaped though the haunted look had not yet faded from her eyes. Oreius clapped her on the shoulder and led her back to Cair Paravel. "Come, let's get you something to eat. You are too thin, enough so that Alithia cornered me in the armory yesterday just so she could complain about how she can count your ribs from across the room and I agreed with her, so you need to eat more. And, you will eat more even if I must stand watch over every meal to make sure you eat every bite that is placed before you."

He smirked when Katerina gave him a wide-eyed look before she muttered, "Well, I think I just found my appetite so that won't be necessary, though you'll probably do it anyway."

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**A/N: Please read and review! I need to say now that my mad updating schedule from the last story won't be replicated to the same extreme with this story, but I will update as quick as I can. Click the little review button below and let me know what you think about this chapter and the interactions between Katerina and the others.**


	3. Chapter Two: Questions

Disclaimer: I don't own Narnia or any characters you may recognize from the books or the movies, I wish I did but I don't... I also don't own the Narnian Calendar. It belongs to Elecktrum who was kind enough to let me borrow it for my story. Her own stories are awesome and you should go read them too.

Summary: In the aftermath of rescuing Queen Lucy from an evil sorcerer, Katerina Alambiel struggles to find her place while some of the Narnians closest to the Pevensies still question her motives. And, finding herself in the middle of an assassination plot against the High King himself doesn't exactly help her to fit in.

Warning: There will be mentions of torture, murder, and some scary moments. So, this is a mid to high T.

Chapter Two: Questions

12 Lenisgale 1001

Katerina Alambiel gathered her skirts in both hands as she ran through the halls of Cair Paravel. The only sounds interrupting the quiet of the pre-dawn hours were her boots hitting the floor and the muffled, and not so muffled, laughter of the guards she kept passing. She could _not_ be late for training today. Oreius would have her head if she managed to come in late for the fifth day in a row. She growled in frustration as her skirts interfered with her stride again. She would have been in the training yard by now if not for this dress and its dratted skirts. She wouldn't be surprised if Oreius had insisted she wear either a dress or a tunic and skirt every other day of training because he knew she despised having to wear them. Of course, when the topic came up two months ago he had presented a very simple reason that she couldn't deny without sounding ridiculous: "You will not always be wearing the clothes you are accustomed to fighting in, Katerina Alambiel. You spend enough time with the Queens that you may one day be wearing skirts or even a proper dress when you are required to fight. Therefore, you will wear skirts to training no less than three days a week."

Even she knew there was no use in arguing with Oreius over the matter, so Katerina had resigned herself to her fate, for the most part. She just hoped Oreius never got it in his head that she should wear heels or something other than her boots when training, then she might have to do something drastic like when she persuaded him why he should not make her fight with a shield. That had been painful, but, as she had told Lucy when it happened, winning an argument against General Oreius made the whole episode worthwhile. She skidded into the armory just as Oreius and Cletus came around the corner. The Centaur raised an eyebrow at her, "I see you've decided to join us today after all."

Katerina ignored the muffled snickers of Peter and Edmund as she tried to answer without panting. "I'm not late this time."

She hid a wince as her statement came out sounding a lot more like a question. Cletus walked past her and motioned for the two kings to follow him into the training yard as Oreius focused his full attention on her. There was a faint glint of amusement in his eyes as he looked her over and stroked his beard in mock seriousness before he answered. "No, I believe you arrived precisely before you would have been late. And, I see you are wearing what could almost pass as a proper dress this time. Good. Put on your full armor and bring Chrysaor with you to the training yard." She nodded and turned to retrieve her armor and sword when Oreius spoke again. "Oh, and Katerina, when I say full armor I do mean the chain mail too."

She barely kept a groan from escaping and judging from the annoyingly amused look Oreius gave her before he went to the training yard, the Centaur knew exactly what she was thinking. Once Oreius and Alithia had decided she was stronger and at a healthy weight, Oreius had wasted no time in getting her fitted for armor. Fortunately, he had taken into account that she would not be able to move if she wore the same armor as Peter and Edmund. Instead, he ordered the dwarf-smiths to make her armor similar to that made for Queen Susan. Most of the time, Katerina would only wear the titanium-reinforced leather cuirass over a leather jerkin during training. However, Oreius' order meant she had to wear the chain mail hauberk, which fell to just below her mid-thigh, underneath the cuirass as well. The chief smith, a Black Dwarf by the name of Baumur, had reassured her that the chain mail was made of the lightest metal capable of withstanding combat, but after an hour of the training Oreius and the other sword masters came up with, the chain mail felt like it was made of stones. Of course, most training was longer than an hour.

Katerina quickly pulled on the hauberk and the cuirass before she strapped on the leather bracers that covered what the hauberk's elbow-length sleeves did not. She grabbed Chrysaor, the sword of Esti, from its mount on the armory wall and sprinted to the training yard. Peter and Edmund were already sparring under Cletus' watchful eye, which meant she had to spar with...Oreius, who looked far too cheerful in her opinion. As she pulled Chrysaor free of its sheath and stepped forward to face her mentor, she couldn't help the wry thought. _I really need to start coming to training early. Because I just know, he's planned some grand lesson that will leave me wishing I had stayed in bed this morning._

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The sun had finally risen and warmed the training yard with its light as the three humans lowered their swords for the last time. Oreius had pushed all of them hard this morning and he could easily see the relief in the kings' eyes when he declared the lesson over, Katerina, on the other hand, hid her emotions. He wouldn't have been surprised if she was too exhausted to show any emotions after suffering through nearly a week's worth of nightmares, according to Sherket, and then learning the new training regime he had introduced this morning. Still, she didn't complain. He watched his three students disappear into the armory with Cletus following them as the third officer present in the training yard came to stand by him. "Well?"

Ardon glanced first at him, then at where Katerina Alambiel had just gone through the armory door. "I see what you were talking about, Oreius. She comes very close to achieving the warrior's center when she fights, but then she just doesn't take that extra step. It is as if she is stopping herself from losing control and by turn, she stops herself from fighting in that state of pure instinct. You said she attacked a werewolf without a sword and tackled it away from Queen Lucy, so she is capable of reaching the warrior's center when she wants to protect someone. But, she's not achieving it during training. Did she reach it when she fought the sorcerer?"

"No, she instinctively reacted to the commands I had already drilled into her when training, but she didn't achieve the warrior's center."

Ardon gave him a quizzical look. "She reached it when she was trying to protect someone else, but she can't or won't reach it when training to fight for her own life. Why?"

Oreius shook his head. "I don't know for sure, but I think she is afraid that achieving the warrior's center will cause her to lose control. She's afraid of herself in a way, she doesn't want to lose control because she thinks it might reveal that she is a monster at heart. I need to find a way to get her to let go before it costs her everything in battle."

"I don't envy you the task, my friend, because this one is fairly formidable even with her inability to achieve the warrior's center. Do you want me to make these visits a habit?"

Oreius smirked, "Ardon, if you had seen the look Katerina Alambiel gave me when she realized you were behind her, you wouldn't have to ask. Come tomorrow morning early and we'll discuss with Cletus how best to push her on. And, would you see if you can get your wife to stop pestering me about how I intend to push Katerina Alambiel in her training without causing her to end up in the healer's wing again?"

Ardon's shoulders shook with laughter as he clapped Oreius on the shoulder. "My friend, when Alithia learns that you've recruited me to help you, she will merely pester us both until she's satisfied with the results. So, you had best come up with a good plan quickly otherwise Alithia will find a reason to gainsay it and then we will both be in trouble."

Oreius parted ways with Ardon right before he encountered a Cat page who dutifully informed him that Queen Susan asked if he would join the royals on the East Terrace at the ninth hour because Sallowpad the Raven wanted to quiz Katerina Alambiel on something of importance. Oreius hoped the old Raven wasn't still trying to trick Katerina Alambiel into confessing she had alternative reasons for staying in Narnia as the guest of the Kings and Queens. In the six months since she had accepted the invitation, Oreius had watched a number of advisors and councilors try to ferret out the true reason the stranger had decided to stay in Narnia, but none of them matched Sallowpad in tenacity. For some reason he refused to share, the old Raven was determined to be the one who forced Katerina to confess her secrets to the point that he had taken to randomly ambushing her with pointed questions whenever they were both in the presence of the Four and other advisors and councilors. Where the Raven suspected Katerina Alambiel was keeping aspects of her past quiet, Oreius was certain of it. However, unlike Sallowpad, Oreius was content to allow Katerina to open up to the people around her at a time of her choosing. Still, he had to acknowledge that the conversations between Sallowpad and Katerina Alambiel were never dull nor could anyone predict the exact outcome of such conversations.

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Katerina made a face at her reflection in the mirror as a young woman dressed in a two-piece dark blue dress stared back at her. She still couldn't believe she had allowed Lucy and Susan to talk her into wearing dresses more often, as in every chance they could get to her closet. The two Queens of Narnia complained about how she wouldn't let them gussy any of the dresses up, but only until Katerina threatened to gift all her dresses and skirts away and go back to wearing only tunics and trousers. Fortunately, the head seamstress Tuulea had listened to Katerina's wants and needs, including the needs that a certain General had added from a warrior's perspective at some unknown point in the process. So, even the clothes that could almost pass as proper dresses, as Oreius put it, were practical yet even Katerina had to admit that there was an understated elegance in the designs' simplicity.

Satisfied that she looked presentable and that none of the bruises she had gathered in training were showing, Katerina hurried to meet the royal family on the East Terrace. She congratulated herself on making the journey without having to ask for directions this time, but then she saw practically all of the advisors currently in Cair Paravel were also on the terrace. _Great, this is another one of that Raven's ambushes._ A quick glance around confirmed her theory when she saw Sallowpad sitting on the shoulder of an older Centaur by the name of Stonebrook. Queen Susan gave her an apologetic glance before she invited everyone to make themselves comfortable.

This time Sallowpad didn't waste any time launching into his interrogation, as he croaked. "Lady Katerina, how long have you been the esteemed guest of their majesties now?"

_Where is this old bird going?_ "I believe it has been about six months since I chose to accept their majesties' invitation, Master Sallowpad."

Sallowpad tilted his head to peer down at her with one beady eye. "And, since that time have you found what you were looking for here in Narnia?"

_What kind of question is that?_ "I suppose it depends on what you think I was looking for, Master Sallowpad. On one hand, I have found much that I was looking for and on the other hand, I have found much that I didn't even realize I was looking for until I found it. Such is the way of things, no?"

King Edmund snickered and Lucy giggled while everyone else hid their own smile or laughter as they realized Katerina had given Sallowpad an answer equal to his question. The old Raven ruffled his feathers before he continued in a sly tone, "Perhaps you chose to stay in Narnia for the purpose of seeing her magnificence for yourself? Did you hope to find it would appeal to and approve of you?"

Katerina paused as a sudden hush fell over the group with more than a few of those present looking askance at the old Raven. _What is this old bird really asking me? I have no idea._ She hesitated then chose her words as carefully as possible. "I chose to stay in Narnia because I have nowhere else to go and I was welcomed here for the most part. Narnia is truly magnificent and an appealing place to be even though I've yet to see her in seasons other than autumn and winter and now this hint of spring. But, I confess that I am unsure as to what you mean by hoping Narnia's magnificence would approve of me."

A sudden chuckle caused Katerina to look down and find Sir Rupert Grefftus Fox sitting at her feet. "My dear lady, it seems Master Sallowpad is concerned about your intentions towards High King Peter the Magnificent."

Katerina blinked in confusion before it hit her with stunning clarity as to what the old Raven was asking. She didn't quite manage to keep the astonishment out of her voice as she looked back and forth between the ruffled Raven and the smug Fox. "You think I'm husband-hunting...for Peter? No, absolutely not. I have no desire whatsoever to be involved with the High King." The sound of Edmund choking back laughter made her realize how that probably sounded, and she sheepishly turned to Peter. "No offense."

He gave a dismissive wave, though he was blushing rather furiously, and she refocused on explaining herself more clearly to the old Raven and the rest of the advisors present. "What I'm trying to say is that I have absolutely no designs on becoming Peter's wife because that means I would have to take on royal duties and be diplomatic. I have no desire to be a queen or a consort or any type of royal. I see Peter as my friend, perhaps even a brother, nothing more." She paused as she considered mentioning their age difference, but she decided it didn't need to be brought up, instead she spoke as calmly as she could manage as she eyed the recalcitrant Raven. "I chose to stay in Narnia because the people and the land itself appealed to me and invited me to remember that there's more to life than darkness and cold, not for any ulterior motive or plot. I do not understand why it is so difficult for you to believe me about this. My answers haven't changed since you first started asking me these questions, how long is it going to take before you finally accept them as true?"

Sallowpad didn't answer as he clacked his beak then flew off. Sir Rupert Fox gave her a nod before he too slipped off, which seemed to be a signal for most of the other advisors to leave the East Terrace. Ignoring the group as they politely bid the royal family a good morning before dismissing themselves, Katerina strolled over to the balcony framing the terrace and leaned against it. The dull thud of hoof beats gave warning before Oreius joined her in looking out over the ocean. They watched the waves in silence for several minutes before Oreius spoke without turning away from the sight before them. "They will understand in time, Katerina Alambiel, but for now you must have patience with them until they learn to accept you as you are. They mean well and wish only to protect our sovereigns, even from one whom their sovereigns have personally invited to stay in Narnia. For now, most will see you as a stranger, but in time, they no longer see a stranger, they will see only Katerina Alambiel."

Katerina glanced at the Centaur out of the corner of her eye. "Yes, but that still leaves two questions: When will they see Katerina Alambiel? And, will they accept her when they do see her?" She doubted Oreius had an answer but she was almost disappointed that Lucy called for them to rejoin the others before he had the chance to try. It seemed she would simply have to content herself with waiting for her questions to be answered, just as the others also waited for the answers to their own questions.

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**A/N: Please read and review! Please let me know what y'all think about this chapter since this one took a lot of tweaking before I was happy with it. In case anyone was wondering, the description of Katerina's armor was inspired/borrowed from Susan's armor in Prince Caspian. Click the little review button below and let me know if you like, hate, or are just plain confused by the story. **


	4. Chapter Three: News and Travel

Disclaimer: I don't own Narnia or any characters you may recognize from the books or the movies, I wish I did but I don't... I also don't own the Narnian Calendar. It belongs to Elecktrum who was kind enough to let me borrow it for my story. Her own stories are awesome and you should go read them too.

Summary: In the aftermath of rescuing Queen Lucy from an evil sorcerer, Katerina Alambiel struggles to find her place while some of the Narnians closest to the Pevensies still question her motives. And, finding herself in the middle of an assassination plot against the High King himself doesn't exactly help her to fit in.

Warning: There will be mentions of torture, murder, and some scary moments. So, this is a mid to high T.

Chapter Three: News and Travel

Peter studied the two missives laying flat on his desk with a slight frown before he looked up, "Are you certain you want to do this, Su? I mean you don't have to go if you don't want to and I can just give your compliments to the Windwolf family when I pass through on the way to inspect the old hunting lodge near our northern border. It isn't going to be a leisure trip you know."

Peter's secret hope of persuading his sister to stay in the safety of Cair Paravel faded a bit when Susan arched an eyebrow at him. "There is no reason for me not to visit the Windwolf family for a day as they requested. They want to make up for what some of their family were forced to do under Jadis' rule and they would like me to be present for the naming of their pups. Vardan has repented and this is an excellent way to emphasize the fact that we have forgiven him."

Peter brightened as he hit upon a new tactic, "What about Lucy? Lion knows you haven't let her out of your sight since Twirleaf, how comfortable will you be going on this trip if you're constantly worrying over Lucy?"

Susan crossed her arms, "Really, Peter? Edmund is going to stay here with Lucy and I have his word that he will keep her out of trouble while we're gone. Besides, you are the one who said just last week that I needed to let her have some breathing room. So, as I was saying, we'll travel together as far as the Shuddering Woods where I will stay with the Windwolf family for the day or so it will take you to inspect the hunting lodge, and then we'll meet at the fork in the Great River and travel back to Cair Paravel. It will only take four or five days at the most. Why are you making such a fuss about it?"

Peter leaned back in his chair and sighed, "I'm just concerned that something will happen to you if I were to leave you alone for an hour much less a day or two, I mean look at what happened with Lucy. I would never forgive myself if something happened to you or Lucy or Edmund because I wasn't there to protect you."

Susan's eyes softened in understanding and she walked around his desk to put her hand on his shoulder. "Peter, you are our protector but this time I think we'll be all right. We haven't heard a single whisper of anything unusual happening along the borders since Twirleaf and you know the Windwolf family would die before they let anything happen to me while I'm their guest. Lucy and Edmund will both be protected by half the army and Captain Cletus won't let Edmund get into trouble while we're gone and Edmund won't let Lucy get into trouble. And, if it makes you feel better, I'll take Heru and Sefu with me along with Caia. Between the three of them and the entire Windwolf family, you can rest assured that I'll be perfectly safe while you're off inspecting your potential hideaway from palace life."

Peter chuckled at the image of Heru and Sefu being paired with Caia, a fiery little Centauress archer, who often accompanied Susan when she traveled and had won several races against more than a few members of Captain Sherket's battalion of big Cats. He had heard that Heru was trying to arrange a rematch after he lost the last race to Caia, but so far Sherket had stalled any progress to that effect. Although, he strongly suspected that Lieutenant Sefu might be persuaded to allow a rematch to take place if only so he could have the opportunity to laugh at Heru when the Cougar lost to Caia for the eleventh time in a row. Peter looked up at Susan and nodded, "All right, Susan you can come but keep in mind that this still isn't a leisure trip and we leave early tomorrow morning."

Susan smiled in delight and kissed him on the cheek before she swept out of his study. Peter shook his head again before he called for one of the Cat pages. He needed to warn General Oreius that his sister had decided to accompany them as far as the Shuddering Woods, especially since he never knew for sure who else Susan would bring with her on these trips.

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Katerina Alambiel was mildly surprised to find the eldest Queen of Narnia when she opened her door that evening after supper. "Queen Susan, please come in. I thought you might be Lucy."

Susan smiled, "Then I'm surprised you opened the door at all, especially since I know how much of your time Lucy tries to take up."

"I don't really mind, and it's rather difficult to hold anything against Lucy. She's too much of a sweetheart, even when she imitates a rabbit on a sugar high." Katerina matched Susan's smile before she gave the elder queen a knowing look as they each claimed a seat in the parlor. "However, I have the sneaking suspicion that you are not here to talk about your sister. So, why are you really here?"

Susan looked down at her hands then looked back up with an almost sheepish expression. "Well, I came for two reasons. First, I wanted to apologize for what happened with Sallowpad yesterday. He refused to tell anyone what he was planning to ask you, Katerina, and if I had known he had chosen that particular subject, I never would have allowed him to do so in that setting. I hope you weren't too embarrassed."

Katerina grinned, "I was too confused to be embarrassed, Susan. Actually, I think it was Peter who suffered the embarrassment not I."

Susan laughed and nodded, "I think you may be right, first Sallowpad shocked him by asking that question and then everyone but you and Lucy knew exactly what he was really asking. Of course, your response hurt his pride a little, I think. Even though I don't think he ever thought of you like that, or any girls that I know of. Actually, why were you so confused? I would have thought that you had lots of experience with courtship or at least men pursuing you."

Katerina felt herself blush for the first time in years as she fumbled for an answer. "Yes, well, I've never actually been on a date or had any man express an interest in me, at least not one I was ever interested in back. Moreover, since it never even occurred to me to think of Peter as anything but a friend or perhaps a brother, I just didn't make that leap in logic. Not to mention the fact that he's a little young for me since I'm nineteen to his fourteen. Besides, I don't see myself getting involved with anyone, much less married, any time soon." Katerina paused then continued in a dry tone, "Maybe when I'm thirty-four or thirty-six, and then Sallowpad can get his feathers in a bunch trying to figure out who I targeted in my husband-hunting quest."

Susan laughed again, "All right, I thought that might be the cause for your emphatic response. Anyway, the other reason I'm here is I wondered if you would like to accompany Peter and I on a trip. Peter's going to inspect an old hunting lodge, which he plans to turn into a private retreat from the Cair, and I'm going to the Shuddering Woods to visit the Windwolf family and represent the royals when Vardan and Clara Windwolf present their pups for the first time."

Katerina titled her head slightly, "It sounds interesting enough, but why do you want me to come?"

"Because you deserve the chance to see more of Narnia than Cair Paravel, and you can take a small break from Lucy's unending energy. I think you would enjoy seeing Narnia in the springtime, well, early springtime. As well as the fact that your coming will help keep Peter from worrying about what's happening in Cair Paravel. And, no I don't mean he's worried you'll try to start a coup. But, he and General Oreius are both worried that if we were to leave just Edmund and Lucy here with you, someone might decide you were trying to act on secret ambitions and cause problems."

"Do they know you're inviting me to come pester you lot instead?"

"No, and I don't intend to tell them until we leave in the morning if you decide to come with us."

Katerina almost laughed at the mischievous glint in Susan's eyes, the elder Queen might not be as spontaneous as her sister but she certainly had a sense of humor. She grinned at Susan as she pretended to weigh her options with her hands. "Hmm, let's see stay here and start a coup or go on a trip through Narnia and pester Oreius and Peter? Well, my yearly quota for starting coups has already been filled, so I'm going to have to go with pestering the general and High King for as long as I can get away with it. We leave in the morning, yes?"

Susan laughed, "Yes and make sure you pack a warm cloak because it will be cold along the northern border, which is where the hunting lodge is located. And, remember not a word to either my brother or the good general if you see them this evening. I think they deserve a surprise, don't you agree?"

Katerina grinned, "I agree, I just hope they think it's a good surprise." Susan laughed and left almost immediately to start preparing for the trip, not realizing that Katerina had been more than a little serious. She frowned and went to pack before Sherket came to check on her. The Leopard captain had not been pleased to learn that after nearly four months of absence Katerina's nightmares had returned with a vengeance this past week, and to the point that three nights ago she had scared poor Ptah into running for Sherket after she woke up screaming. Now the Leopard captain had returned to her habit of staying up with her until it was quite late and Katerina could no longer keep herself awake, then curling up against her back during the night. Katerina prayed that her nightmares would go away again, or at least for this trip, it would be far too difficult for her to hide just how badly the nightmares shook her up with the absence of true privacy while traveling.

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14 Lenisgale 1001

Peter sat on his horse, Blaze, and watched in slight shock as Susan rode up next to him on her own horse, Crystal, with none of her ladies-in-waiting in tow. Her horn dangled from the saddle horn and her bow and quiver were safely tucked behind the saddle as a precaution. She raised an eyebrow at him, "What? You said this wasn't a leisure trip so I packed light."

Peter glanced over at Oreius who was no help at all, as he copied Susan by raising an eyebrow at him. Peter turned back to his sister and shrugged. "I guess I'm just a little surprised that you didn't invite some of your ladies to come as well."

Susan smiled at him and cheerfully answered, "You confused me with Lucy, Peter, I only invited one person to come along and she's going with you to the lodge."

Peter blinked as he tried to figure out who Susan would have invited to come with _him_ to the hunting lodge and not with her to the Shuddering Woods. A glance at Oreius proved the Centaur had no idea either, and Peter didn't have to imagine that Oreius wasn't happy about being kept in the dark. He opened his mouth to ask Susan outright, and then he immediately shut it as Katerina Alambiel rode up on the blue roan mare, Sasha. She grinned at him and Oreius before turning to Susan, "Well, they certainly look surprised. When do we leave?"

Peter answered instead of Susan, "We're leaving now." With Katerina's addition, their party now numbered thirteen. Besides himself, the girls, and Oreius, there was also Ardon, Alithia, Sherket, Sefu, Heru, Caia, two Tiger cousins, and a Cheetah by the name of Esmae. Peter glanced at the sun peeking over the horizon and hoped nothing too terrible or inconvenient happened on this trip.

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Three hours passed before any real conversation took place between the members of the party. Peter was pulled from his private musings when Susan asked Katerina one of the questions nearly everyone in Cair Paravel was dying to know. "Katerina, why do you never speak of your family?"

Peter turned slightly to better hear Katerina's reply. "Probably because I find it difficult to speak of that which I do not know."

Susan had to have known that everyone was listening now, and, just as Peter hoped, she pressed for more information. "What do you mean?"

Katerina's voice was quiet and calm as she answered, "I grew up in an orphanage before being bounced around more than a few foster homes. Nobody knew where I came from or where what, if any, family could be found. It probably didn't help that I was found wandering around in the woods with no clues for searchers to follow or that it was nearly seven months before I spoke a word to anyone."

Peter looked over his shoulder to see Katerina was watching the space between Sasha's ears, but she readily answered when Caia joined the conversation. "Were you very young when they found you?"

"No, the people who ran the orphanage guessed I was somewhere between eight and ten years of age, they eventually settled on saying I was nine at the time I was found. They did try to find my family, but without a name and no hints other than the area where I had been discovered, there wasn't much to go on. And, when I finally started talking again, I couldn't help them."

Peter couldn't help himself, this was the most he had heard Katerina ever say about her past, he had to keep her talking. "Why?"

"Because when they asked me for my name, I responded with Alambiel, and when they asked why I had been in the woods, I couldn't tell them anything. I didn't remember why I was there, in fact, I didn't remember anything other than my name was Alambiel. I still don't remember anything of my past before the day the hunters found me and took me to the authorities who then took me to the orphanage. They tried again to find my family, this time hoping that the unusual name would spark a memory and garner more of a response, but still nobody came forward. After that they decided that I had either been orphaned or simply abandoned. Before you ask, the same person who managed to get me to talk is who dubbed me 'Katerina'. I don't know his real name, he was always called 'the Professor' by everyone at the orphanage, but his niece helped run the place and he decided that Katerina was an appropriate addition to Alambiel after hearing the complaint that my more unusual name would keep me from being adopted."

Peter met Susan's gaze and nodded for her to ask the next question. "Did it?"

Katerina's tone turned wry as she shook her head. "No, I suspect the lack of a past and my age, not my name, was the main reason I wasn't adopted. Most people don't want to bring trouble home, and those who look to adopt far prefer the younger children, the ones who haven't formed bad habits or difficult behavior. There were a couple of additional reasons as to why I was one of the unwanted after a few years, which is about the time I started a very fast rotation through the foster homes. Apparently, I have issues with authority. Can't imagine why they would think that, can you?"

Peter knew she was just trying to lighten the suddenly heavy mood, and he and the rest of group obliged her. Talk quickly turned to how this year's Lenisgale was already proving much warmer than last year. Katerina Alambiel remained quiet throughout the rest of the day, and the Narnians let her be. Peter suspected that everyone guessed the morning's conversation had dredged up some less than pleasant memories for Katerina, and he wished it could have been avoided for her sake. However, he couldn't shake the feeling that while her story explained much of her behavior in some regards, it was still only the tip of the iceberg concerning her past.

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**A/N: Look, Katerina has a past...sort of. Please read and review! Let me know if y'all liked this chapter and don't worry we're getting ready to jump into the more angsty and adventureous chapters. Click the little review button below and tell me what y'all think is going to happen next.**


	5. Chapter Four: Practice Round

Disclaimer: I don't own Narnia or any characters you may recognize from the books or the movies, I wish I did but I don't... I also don't own the Narnian Calendar. It belongs to Elecktrum who was kind enough to let me borrow it for my story. Her own stories are awesome and you should go read them too.

Summary: In the aftermath of rescuing Queen Lucy from an evil sorcerer, Katerina Alambiel struggles to find her place while some of the Narnians closest to the Pevensies still question her motives. And, finding herself in the middle of an assassination plot against the High King himself doesn't exactly help her to fit in.

Warning: There will be mentions of torture, murder, and some scary moments. So, this is a mid to high T.

Chapter Four: Practice Round

_I hate March, wait I'm in Narnia, so I really hate Lenisgale. It's so cold this morning, I think my fingers are about to fall off. There's still snow on the ground, at least wherever there's shade and this stream is not a pleasant nip. It's more like getting bit by an ice dog. I don't care how pretty Narnia is, I'm never going on a camping trip in Lenisgale again. I can see my breath!_

"Katerina, are you all right?"

Katerina whirled to see Susan watching her with concern, and she forced herself to smile. "Of course, I was just lost in thought. Did you need something?"

She could just imagine what Susan was thinking with her standing by a half-frozen stream shivering in her unbelted under tunic and skirt with her pack, containing her over tunic, sitting on a rock a few feet away next to her cloak and sai knives while she scowled at the bursts of white, which formed every time she breathed out. _She probably thinks I really have lost my mind...oh, I hope I didn't speak my thoughts aloud. _Susan seemed to dismiss Katerina's oddness as she passed on a message from General Oreius and Captain Ardon. Katerina blinked then asked, "Did they look serious when they said that?"

"Very, and General Oreius added that if you think the stream is cold with just your hands in it, then don't heed your instructions."

"Right." Katerina quickly unsheathed Chrysaor and hurried past Susan who followed at more leisurely pace. She hoped the act of heeding her instructions didn't end up being a worse idea than not following them. It could go either way in her opinion.

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Katerina Alambiel held Chrysaor at the ready as she carefully circled her opponent, who, she wryly noted, was certainly better dressed for this little duel than she was. Though he only stood at five feet seven inches and weighed roughly only a few pounds more than she did without armor, her opponent had Katerina at a disadvantage since she had to count the fact that he was completely dressed and had on his leather jerkin compared to her wool under tunic and skirt. The other problem was her opponent knew she was at a disadvantage and he wasn't going to hesitate to exploit it. His sword flashed as he lunged forward and she barely caught the blade with Chrysaor's edge before she twisted out from under the blow and slashed at his left side.

He jumped back, and she held her ground, waiting for him to make the next move. He aimed low, slicing at her legs, and she leaped over the sword while bringing Chrysaor down in an arc towards his neck. He blocked then spun around to bring his sword against her back. She dropped into a crouch and rolled away from him before she sprang to her feet and rushed him from the right side. He parried and started raining down blows until she was forced to slowly back up in a desperate attempt to keep him from disarming her and making a kill.

Her left shoulder brushed against the rough surface of one of the broken stone pillars lining the glade they were fighting in. He slammed his sword against hers hard enough that Chrysaor sliced through her tunic. She propped her back against the pillar and shoved hard against his blade. She threw him off just enough that his foot skidded on the damp grass, but then he regained his balance and smacked his blade against Chrysaor with enough force that the sword flew from her hand. She tried to slide to her right, but her tunic was caught in one of the cracks running through the pillar. Out of sheer desperation, she braced herself against the pillar and kicked her opponent just hard enough to knock him back and down as he lost his footing on the wet grass.

She frantically wriggled out of the tunic and lunged for Chrysaor. She whirled around to face her opponent as he regained his feet and looked for her. He raised an eyebrow at the fact she was now only wearing a cropped top, but he quickly launched another attack. They began to move faster until every move she made was coming from instinct. All of her training was aimed at achieving the warrior's center and she had never been so close to it as she was now. The metallic ring of steel against steel seemed to match the rhythm of her heart as she watched her opponent's eyes for a hint of his next move. All awareness of what was going on beyond this duel faded as she met and countered each blow with an ease she never felt before. They whirled and clashed their swords together again and again in a deadly dance until she thought the fight would never end, but then she was roughly jerked from that focus as her heel caught on a rock and she landed on her back in a pile of snow.

Katerina looked up at Peter as he stepped forward and tapped just above her collarbone, "Kill. But, you almost had me until you tripped over that rock."

She smiled and let him pull her to her feet, "Fortunately for you. Of course, then I land in the only pile of snow here, which is both cold and wet by the way." She grinned at Peter as he laughed, then they both realized that something was missing and turned to face their teachers who had been observing the duel along with Susan and Alithia. Katerina felt her smile slip as she realized the others were staring at them, no, her, with unconcealed shock and more than a little horror. Beside her, she heard Peter gasp as he finally looked over and saw her back. The feelings of shame and worthlessness she thought she had finally managed to leave behind came flooding back in an instant and Katerina just turned and walked back to the stream where she had left her pack, pausing only to pick up Chrysaor. She ignored the others when they called her name and asked her to wait. She hadn't wanted to deal with this now, but after this, what choice did she have?

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Oreius could hardly believe what he had just witnessed. Katerina Alambiel had fought against the High King and finally achieved the warrior's center, yes, but during the course of the fight, her back had been revealed. The image of those horrific scars etched across her back from both of her shoulders all the way down, apparently unbroken even as they disappeared briefly from view beneath the lower band of her cropped top, to overlap at the center of her back and then disappear under the waist of her skirt was not something he would easily forget. There had been other faded scars scattered across her back, but only this one set of raised scars looked like they had been the result of something or someone repeatedly clawing and ripping into her back. Whether the scars were administered with real claws or some other device, he didn't know, but there was no doubt in his mind that those scars were the result of torture.

Ardon stamped his hoof in agitation as he looked at his wife. "Did you know about that?"

Alithia nodded, "Yes, I knew of the scars, but she made me swear not to tell anyone about them."

Oreius stared at the small break in the trees Katerina had disappeared through, wondering if he should go talk to her now or wait until she indicated a willingness to discuss it. He didn't want to make things worse by forcing her to talk and judging by the devastation that had accompanied the familiar haunted look in her eyes, approaching her now would definitely make things worse. "Alithia, did she tell you how she came by those scars."

"No, and she made it perfectly clear that she would not welcome any questions at that time."

Oreius nodded, he had suspected as much. Katerina Alambiel still hid much of herself from all of them in spite of the time she had spent with them, but the results of this duel meant she would have to talk and soon. _Aslan, please give Katerina the courage to speak of her past without fear of condemnation. Help her to know that I, that we, will not judge her as worthless no matter the story she has to share._

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**A/N: Please read and review! If I get at least two new reviews, I will post the next chapter tonight instead of making you wait. Although, I will warn you now that it will be very dark and not for the faint of heart. Click the little review button below and let me know what you think about this chapter.**


	6. Chapter Five: Scars & Stories

Disclaimer: I don't own Narnia or any characters you may recognize from the books or the movies, I wish I did but I don't... I also don't own the Narnian Calendar. It belongs to Elecktrum who was kind enough to let me borrow it for my story. Her own stories are awesome and you should go read them too.

Summary: In the aftermath of rescuing Queen Lucy from an evil sorcerer, Katerina Alambiel struggles to find her place while some of the Narnians closest to the Pevensies still question her motives. And, finding herself in the middle of an assassination plot against the High King himself doesn't exactly help her to fit in.

Warning: There will be mentions of torture, murder, and some scary moments. So, this is a mid to high T. **Additional Warning for this Chapter: This deals with a part of Katerina's past that is very dark and touches on some nasty themes I've hinted at especially in the dream sequences from Awakening. Be assured I am telling not showing so it won't be graphic but it will still be intense. High T on this chapter.**

Chapter Five: Scars and Stories

Katerina hadn't said a word to anyone since she finally reappeared in the camp wearing one of the almost proper dresses instead of the tunic and skirt she had originally intended to wear that day. She had climbed atop Sasha and ridden in utter silence all day, not responding in the slightest when one of her companions tried to draw her into a conversation. She suspected that Oreius had told everyone to just leave her be since not one person tried to speak with her after they paused at noon to rest and eat. And, she was grateful for it because it allowed her time to regain her fractured control and to decide just how much of her story she needed to tell.

The memories associated with the scars were unpleasant to say the least and she dreaded what the repercussion would be for telling her story. She continued to brood over her limited choices until she finally reached a decision. _God, this is so hard for me. Give me the courage to speak and help me to remember the past cannot harm me, no matter what. Help me to speak._

She ran her thumb over the familiar shapes of the lion and cross pendants and took a deep breath to calm her nerves. She could do this, no, she would do this because it was only a story. She used to tell stories to people, well, kids, all the time. She was just telling another story, it just happened to be one she had lived through...and a bit of a horror story.

She walked over to where the three Centaurs had gathered with Peter and Susan around the campfire in front of Peter's tent. They had all looked up at her approach but no one said a word as she took a seat in between Peter and Oreius, which was good otherwise she probably would have run off without saying a word. She couldn't bring herself to look at them, so she stared at the fire instead. "I shared some of my story yesterday, and if ever there was a time to ask about my past, it would be tonight."

The silence was almost overwhelming and Katerina struggled to resist giving in to the urge to run. Then, the sight of all three Centaurs carefully lowering themselves to the ground distracted her from her own thoughts. It suddenly felt easier to breathe without the Centaurs looming over her and she suspected they knew exactly the effect their act of joining the humans on the ground would have on her. Unsurprisingly, it was Oreius who broke the silence as he gently voiced the question she wished she never had to answer. "Katerina Alambiel, how did you come by your scars?"

Katerina closed her eyes as she allowed her memories to rise to the surface and slowly she began to tell her story. "You recall how yesterday I told you there were some other reasons I was one of the unwanted, yes? My scars and how I came by them was the other reason. I had been at the orphanage for just over four years when this all started. A Monster, a man who was kidnapping young women, was stalking the town, he stole them during the day but they were never found no matter how many searches took place. Well, they were never found alive, he would go back and leave their bodies in areas where searchers had already been just so he could taunt and terrify the townsfolk. I suppose those of us at the orphanage made an even more appealing target because people were more likely to believe us runaways instead of kidnap victims. In the span of a week, two of the older girls, Nekane and Maddie, had been taken when they left to run errands. It was assumed they had run away even though that went completely against their characters. I was the next to be taken, and he broke his pattern to do so, I had run outside right before sunset to fetch a doll, I think, for a new little girl who was absolutely terrified of being locked out of the house if she went out. It's a bit blurry, but I remember fetching the doll and I was halfway to the door when I heard footsteps running up from behind, he grabbed as I was turning to look and he clamped a drugged cloth over my mouth and nose so I couldn't scream and that's all I remember of the abduction."

Katerina shuddered and opened her eyes to reassure herself before she continued. "When I came to I was in this dark, cold room and my hands were tied. I called out and I heard a door slam somewhere in the dark, but nobody entered the room. I was left there for I don't know how long, but when the door finally opened I quickly learned that it would have been better if it had stayed close. The Monster liked to soften up his prey by torturing one in front of the rest of us. I was the newest, so he dragged me into a large room that was partially lit by a couple of lanterns, which was where he herded the other girls when he wanted to hurt them making them watch as someone else was tortured or killed. He, umm, he dragged me into the light to display his newest prize for the others and that's when I heard Maddie start screaming at him. She was furious and terrified at the same time as she kept screaming at him, "Why did you take her? She's just a child." He yelled at her to be quiet, but then Nekane started supporting what Maddie was telling him and he finally understood what they were saying, so he...he turned to me and demanded that I tell him how old I was. When I told him that I had just turned thirteen... He completely lost it, he grabbed one of the others, and he beat her to death. Then he came back to me, he said I was too young but that was okay because he would wait and Nekane would take my place for now. I think Maddie and Nekane had hoped he would leave me untouched and unharmed once he knew my age, but that's not how it worked out."

Katerina hesitated then forced herself to keep talking as more memories surfaced. "He didn't rape me but he never once wavered when it came to torturing me. He actually began to torture me more than the others because it bothered them so much. He started with just driving a pair of star-shaped daggers through my hands but then he got bored, so he moved on to using various whips and such in addition to the knives. It got to the point where he would flog me and then he would take this contraption with a series of four knives shaped to mimic claws and rake it across my back from shoulder to hip first from left to right then from right to left. He was sadistic enough that he would reopen the wounds, flog me, and use the contraption to deepen the wounds several times before he would leave me alone for a while. He would do other things too, especially to the others, which I can only describe as horrific, sadistic, and pure evil."

Katerina sighed and wrapped her arms around her knees. "The Monster enjoyed stalking us in the dark and playing mind games because he seemed to thrive on our fear and our screams. I don't know how long I had been there in that place of darkness, but one day he came into the room I now shared with Nekane and Maddie and he was in a rage over something. I don't know what he planned on doing to me, but he had wrenched both of the knives out of the board he had pinned me to and he was dragging me out of the room when Maddie started screaming at him. She called him a coward, a monster, and a murderer, and she didn't stop even when he dropped me and stormed over to her. He started stabbing her and Nekane whispered for me to run under the cover of Maddie's continued screams at the Monster. It shouldn't have worked, I should have been caught, but I managed to crawl out of the room and into the main corridor. By some miracle, I was able to get from the underground lair into the main house before I heard him start screaming for me to stop and come back."

She paused and shook her head as she remembered what happened. "I ran out the house and into the woods. I had just been through another round of torture and I still had the daggers buried in my hands, I shouldn't have been able to escape him. But, I managed to stay just ahead of him as I ran through the woods. Maybe he just didn't expect me to be able to run or maybe he started playing another game to entertain himself as he hunted me through the woods, I don't know. I ran until the sun started to come out and I heard voices ahead of me, that's when I began screaming for help. The voices I heard happened to belong to a group of volunteers who were re-searching the area for any sign of the missing young women. Needless to say, I scared the living daylights out of the lot of them. I survived but the Monster had turned back as soon as he heard me start screaming and, by the time, the searchers followed my blood trail back to the house all the others had been murdered."

Katerina looked down at the scars on her hands and sighed, "I spent about three months on bed rest and it took another three months to recover full use of my hands. I also had to testify against the Monster after they caught him trying to leave the country five days after I escaped. I was the only survivor and the key witness in the cases against him. I was also the thorn in his side in six different trials because he was certain that if he could get rid of me then the cases against him would just disappear and he did try to kill me in the middle of a trial once. The guards dragged him off me and he started screaming about how he was going to make sure I died even if he had to pay someone to shoot me. Each trial ended the same way, with him being found guilty and sentenced to death. Anyway, between the fact I was the only surviving victim of a serial killer and the death threat from said serial killer, I bounced through a lot of foster homes and adoption was no longer an option because nobody wants to take in a walking target."

Katerina didn't look at anyone as she finally finished her story, she didn't want to see the disgust and horror in their eyes that she had witnessed so many times before. She forced herself not to just get up and leave, she would allow them to ask another question, and she would answer it if she could. Still, she couldn't keep from tensing when Susan spoke up in a rather faint voice. "You were only thirteen when this happened?"

Katerina pushed a strand of hair out of her face. "Yes. Just meant that childhood ended earlier for me than it did for others."

Katerina looked away from the fire as Susan struggled to put her next question into words. It was clear to her that the young Queen hadn't ever considered how something so horrible could happen to someone when they had been essentially the same age as she. "But, Katerina, did you never ask-"

"Why? Oh no, I asked why things happened the way they did many, many times. Both during and after those events. I begged for understanding, I wanted to understand why the others, especially Nekane and Maddie, died while I survived. To this day, I still don't know why everything played out the way it did. Maybe enduring such events in my past prepared me for having to deal with Jannes, I don't know. I do know that I have a greater appreciation for my life and my freedom after going through it all. I learned the value of perseverance the hard way, I learned of courage and sacrifice, and I learned that there is always a purpose for things we experience even if it is not given to us to understand in this lifetime. Now, remembering and applying those lessons, that's the hard part." She couldn't answer any more questions, she just couldn't. Katerina stood and quickly walked to the tent she was sharing with Queen Susan, leaving a sober and silent audience sitting around the low campfire. She had told her story, for the most part, what they did with it was up to them. She just prayed that the nightmares wouldn't be too terrible, but she didn't hold much hope for it.

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_It hurt! It hurt so bad! Please make it stop, God, please make him go away. The monster leered down at her as he pulled the daggers out of the wood bar. Then he flipped her around so her face pressed against the cold stone floor. It was so much worse now, she couldn't see what he was doing but then she heard the familiar sound of that hideous contraption being dragged along the stone pillars. She froze, but she didn't scream this time. Screaming only made things worse. She bit her lip and a single tear slid down her face as the monster leaned in and whispered, "You are nothing, little princess, you are here because I am the only one who would ever take you. Because you are just like me, a worthless freak." He pressed down on her wounded back and she whimpered at the agonizing touch. Then, he raised the cat's bite and brought it down..._

Katerina's eyes flew open and it took her one terrifying moment to realize where she was, fortunately, she hadn't wakened Susan who was sleeping across the tent from her. She shoved the blankets back and quietly got out of the hammock. She bit her lip and grabbed the dark red cloak Oreius had given her when she had first arrived in Narnia, it was still a little big but it kept her warm and that was all she cared about at the moment. Wrapping the cloak around herself, she ignored her boots and slipped out of the tent. The feel of cold grass beneath her bare feet helped her to push the nightmare further away, after all there hadn't been any grass in the monster's lair. She slipped away from the camp and walked over to a small hill that overlooked the Great River and the Shuddering Woods on its far bank.

She tilted her head back and looked up at the stars shining bright in the night sky. The one thing better than being alone in her rooms with all the candles lit and the drapes drawn back was standing in the open with nothing between her and the sky that could make her feel trapped. The sense of being watched hit her and she looked over her shoulder, but there was no one there. She turned back and jumped in surprise at the unexpected sight of Oreius standing only a few feet away.

He looked at her with concern, "Why are you out here, Katerina Alambiel? You should be asleep."

"Mmm, that's true. However, I still have a problem with sleeping after my nightmares."

Oreius gave her a knowing look as he closed the distance between them, "So, you decided to risk frozen feet and pneumonia instead. What have I told you about getting me into trouble with Healer Alithia? She still hasn't forgiven me for the incident revolving around your shield training."

Katerina raised a hand to hide the smile and laugh fighting to escape her. "Well, it was your fault after all."

"Oh, really?"

"Yes, because if you hadn't insisted I learn to use a shield, the whole thing never would have happened. Besides, if I really wanted to get you in trouble with Alithia, Kentauri, I would have told her about how you threatened to throw me in the stream this morning."

Katerina grinned up at the Centaur, but then he raised his hand and she flinched away as the memories came flooding back. An unfamiliar emotion skittered through Oreius' eyes and he quickly stepped back only to stop when Katerina grabbed his arm. "No, wait, please. I'm sorry, it wasn't you I swear. It was... it was him. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to react like that, I guess between talking about my past and the nightmare, I am a little more reactive to things that are similar to what he would do."

Oreius frowned and pawed the ground but he didn't break her grip on his arm. "Is he dead? The one who did this to you, has he been executed for his crimes?"

Katerina shook her head, "He still had another trial to stand through, but with six death sentences already, I was told it would probably be a faster road to execution than without my testimony. But, he was still alive when I came here. Why?"

Oreius' free hand gripped the pommel of his claymore, "I wanted to know if he had been punished as he deserved as a result of his crimes, that's all."

A bite of iron entered his tone and Katerina was suddenly very glad that Oreius was not her enemy, especially since she suspected that he would have very much liked to deal with the monster himself. She shivered, which immediately drew the Centaur's undivided attention back to her. He scowled at her attire, then motioned for her to come with him as he walked further away from camp. She obliged with as much meekness as she could muster, but she couldn't help pointing something out to her mentor. "You know this proves that I'm not really afraid of you, right? Occasionally, a little intimidated, okay maybe more than a little, but I've never been afraid of you. Not like I was with the monster, or even with Jannes, who didn't scare me nearly as bad as him."

Oreius looked down at her as she quickened her pace to keep up, "Why do you call this man 'monster' instead of his name?"

"Because he called himself the Monster and no one knew who he really was. He had many aliases but they never led to his real name. He didn't have a history either, apparently he just showed up and started hunting down victims about ten years before I was taken. He liked to say that we were exactly alike, he and I, because we were unwanted, worthless freaks and I was there because he was the only one who would want something like me."

"He is a liar." Katerina smiled at the absolutely certainty in Oreius' emphatic statement. The good general was not pulling any punches in this conversation, as his next question proved. "You said he tried to kill you once during these trials and threatened to hire an assassin. Did he never follow through with his threats and try to harm you again?"

Katerina shivered in spite of herself and pulled her cloak tighter around her body. "Oh yes, he did try to harm me at his last trial. He even carried out his threat to hire someone to shoot me." She paused then stopped directly in front of Oreius, who raised an eyebrow. "This is going to sound really strange, but I think I may have the monster to thank for my being here in Narnia. He hired someone to shoot me as I entered the courthouse, and I remember being shot. But, instead of going to heaven, Aslan's Country, I woke up here in Narnia without a mark on me that would indicate I had been shot. I think...I think I might be...dead in my old world, which would mean I could never go back."

Oreius looked like he was about to say something but then Caia hailed him as she trotted over to them. "General Oreius, Captain Sherket sent me to find you. She says she can't find Katerina anywhere." The Centauress paused as Oreius stepped to the side revealing Katerina. "I'm sorry, did I interrupt something?"

Oreius shook his head, "No. Caia, you may return to your watch until Heru relieves you. Katerina Alambiel, I will escort you back to camp and reassure Captain Sherket that you didn't run away. Come."

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Jambres watched in disgust as the Centaur general ruined the original attempt by his assassins to contact Katerina Alambiel. The Centaurs were so irritating and he hated them all. Fortunately, Medea also despised the Centaurs so it wouldn't take much persuasion on his part to get her to agree to wiping out the entire race. Their Narnia wouldn't need the Centaurs, anyway.

Medea's voice cut through the air like ice, "What are you doing, Jambres? Surely, you're not already having difficulty with your plan, are you?"

"Of course not! I'm just checking on Alambiel's whereabouts." Jambres glared down at his sister before waving his hand at the sheet of black ice glistening with the image of Katerina Alambiel being scolded by a Leopard while the Centaur general went to speak with the other Centaur stallion.

He scowled as Medea's taunting laughter filled the room, "You mean she is too protected by the Centaurs to be seamlessly framed for the High King's assassination. Don't worry, brother dear, I'm sure your little assassins will find a way to carry out your plan in the month and half you have before the Narnian New Year. Let me know if you need any help beyond what I've already set in motion."

Jambres scowled at the images flashing across the black ice, but he didn't respond to his sister's baiting. His plan was about to be set in motion and poor little Katerina Alambiel would be the one blamed by all, including those cursed Centaurs. Soon, he will have succeeded where Jannes had failed, the over-eager lunatic, and Medea would have to acknowledge his superiority.

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**A/N: Did you make it to the end? Please read and review! Okay, so a big, nasty chunk of Katerina's past was revealed, what did you think? What are Jambres and Medea up to? Have you guessed their background? Click the little review button below and let me know if you want more and what y'all think about everything that's been revealed so far.**


	7. Chapter Six: The Lodge

Disclaimer: I don't own Narnia or any characters you may recognize from the books or the movies, I wish I did but I don't... I also don't own the Narnian Calendar. It belongs to Elecktrum who was kind enough to let me borrow it for my story. Her own stories are awesome and you should go read them too.

Summary: In the aftermath of rescuing Queen Lucy from an evil sorcerer, Katerina Alambiel struggles to find her place while some of the Narnians closest to the Pevensies still question her motives. And, finding herself in the middle of an assassination plot against the High King himself doesn't exactly help her to fit in.

Warning: There will be mentions of torture, murder, and some scary moments. So, this is a mid to high T.

Chapter Six: The Lodge

16 Lenisgale 1001

Katerina Alambiel stared at the so-called hunting lodge then looked over at Peter who was far too excited over the sight in her opinion. "This is what you want to use as your retreat?"

Pete didn't even seem to notice the incredulous tone of her question as he swung off Blaze's back. He nodded and smiled, "This is it. Come on, Katerina, let's take a look inside. It will do you good."

She grumbled as she slid off Sasha's back, "Oh yes, going to look around in a ruin masquerading as a lodge will do me wonders."

Sherket and the two Tiger cousins, Kumbali and Sarti, chuckled from where they were waiting nearby, Katerina chose to be dignified and ignored them as she stroked Sasha's nose before reluctantly following the High King towards the…structure. She couldn't help wondering if Peter was insisting she actively participate in the exploration because someone, Oreius or Sherket or even both, had told him that she had basically been up and about since third hour because of nightmares. She had thought her story would make the others act differently towards her maybe even shun her. Instead, Susan had pulled her into a hug before she left the tent that morning and whispered her thanks for trusting them with her story. Then the Gentle Queen made her promise to help keep Peter out of trouble and to give her a full, i.e., un-Peter-filtered, report about the exact condition of the old hunting lodge before heading into the Shuddering Woods with her small escort.

Katerina stepped into the ruin a little behind Peter who was further in and talking to Ardon. She had to admit that there was potential for something both magnificent and comfortable as she examined the somewhat faded reliefs carved into the walls. She was about to admit that the ruin might really by a lodge when she looked up... _You have got to be kidding me._ "King Peter, have you looked up yet?"

Peter looked up then back at her and grinned. "Okay, the roof needs some work since it has a bit of a hole."

Katerina shook her head then pointed out what she thought to be fairly obvious, "Peter, when the hole is bigger than the roof, you don't need some work. You need a new roof unless of course you like leaks the size of a torrential downpour."

Peter laughed, "Where's your sense of adventure, Katerina?"

"I dropped it in the Great River on the way to see this is é seo ar anchaoi, mí-oiriúnach le haghaidh maireachtála, agus shoddy áit a éileamh tú a thaisceadh, which by the way is definitely not fiú ábhairín ar anchaoi, tá sé go hiomlán ar anchaoi go dtí an leibhéal go bhfuil tú caillte d'intinn má cheapann tú gur féidir leat a shocrú an am seo ar bith luaithe. This isn't a lodge. It is a tubaiste ag fanacht le tarlú." _(I dropped it in the Great River on the way to see this this rundown, unfit for living, and shoddy place that you claim is a lodge, which by the way is definitely not even somewhat rundown, it is completely rundown to the level that you have lost your mind if you think you can fix this any time soon. This isn't a lodge. It is a disaster waiting to happen.)_

Katerina paused as she realized Peter and all three Centaurs were staring at her in a mix of amusement and shock. She shrugged, "Sorry, I don't that very often."

Ardon gave her an odd look, "Wait, what language was that?"

"Irish. However, that is not the point. The point is this struchtúr doesn't even qualify as a building. Why are you grinning like that?" _(structure)_

Peter shook his head, "No reason. Now come on, we can take a look around the back, which is in better condition by the way, and then we'll head back to camp and you can rant to your heart's content about this struchtúr."

"I didn't rant. I made an emphatic observation."

The High King laughed, but Kumbali entered the lodge before Katerina could say anything else. He bowed his head to Peter then turned to include the Centaurs. "Your majesty, General Oreius, Captain Sherket says a patrol will be passing through in a half-hour's time and she wondered if one of you might wish to speak to them before they continue on. Their scouts reported that they had a skirmish with some Werewolves some forty miles from here and have need of a healer as well."

Katerina watched as Alithia and Ardon immediately left while Peter held a whispered conversation with Oreius before turning to Kumbali. "Cousin, please show the general where the patrol is currently. Katerina, Sarti, and I will finish up here and then meet you in the clearing where we set up camp in twenty minutes' time. Oreius, send someone to fetch us if anything changes."

Oreius and Kumbali both bowed to Peter, and then left as Sarti padded inside to join the two humans. The younger of the two Tiger cousins looked from Katerina to Peter then back to Katerina who crossed her arms and looked at Peter. She didn't want to know what the Tiger was thinking or what he wanted to ask her. Peter waved for them both to join him before the arch leading to the back of the structure pretending to be a hunting lodge. "Katerina, let's have a look back here and determine what else needs to be done. We need to hurry though. I want to be there when the patrol arrives at the camp."

Peter no longer looked like he was enjoying himself and Katerina guessed it was because he was now thinking about Werewolves and a patrol with injured. She frowned slightly as she searched for the best way to help. Oreius had insisted the High King continue his exploration for a reason, probably because he didn't want him to worry for the next half-hour over that which he could not control. Her frown was replaced with a grin as Katerina hit upon an idea she liked. She winked at Sarti who was watching her closely and snuck up behind Peter. She needed to time this just right if she wanted to avoid any skewering. She stopped a few inches behind Peter who was absorbed in examining the reliefs clearly visible on the more protected back walls of the structure, took a deep breath, and shouted, "Iontas!" _(Surprise!)_

She jumped back as Peter started and drew Rhindon halfway out of its scabbard as he spun to face her. Sarti was laughing from where he stood guard by the arch and she grinned as Peter shook his head and re-sheathed his sword. "Katerina Alambiel, I can't believe you just did that. What has gotten into you today?"

Katerina tilted her head and shrugged, "I'm bored and I wanted revenge for you making me come explore this tá carn cloch tú éileamh a thaisceadh, nuair nach bhfuil sé." _(pile of stones you claim is a lodge, when it is not.) _She grinned slightly, "Besides you were worrying instead of exploring, and part of the reason for coming here is to help you not worry, so I'm helping you do what you are supposed to be doing. Now, let's finish up here and then we can go back to camp where you can be a gcearc mháthair to your heart's content." _(mother hen)_ Stepping around him, she beckoned for him to follow as she tried to distract him with the appeal of exploring the ruined struchtúr, "And, then maybe I won't be mixing my languages up. It's been eight months since I did this last, and now it is measctha suas go léir." _(all mixed up.)_

Fortunately, her plan worked and the High King accompanied her as they crossed into one of the few areas of the lodge still covered by a portion of the roof. The shadows along the walls darkened and Katerina thought she heard a whisper come from behind one of the columns running along the far wall. She looked over her shoulder and her eyes widened in shock. "Peter!"

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**A/N: So, this chapter is short and sweet to make up for the extreme darkness of the previous chapter...except for the cliffie. Please read and review! This story has changed directions on me since I first thought it up, so my writing is coming along a little slower. Your reviews help encourage me to keep writing. All the emphatic observations Katerina makes are in Irish. Click the little review button below and let me know what y'all think of this chapter. **


	8. Chapter Seven: Assassins!

Disclaimer: I don't own Narnia or any characters you may recognize from the books or the movies, I wish I did but I don't... I also don't own the Narnian Calendar. It belongs to Elecktrum who was kind enough to let me borrow it for my story. Her own stories are awesome and you should go read them too.

Summary: In the aftermath of rescuing Queen Lucy from an evil sorcerer, Katerina Alambiel struggles to find her place while some of the Narnians closest to the Pevensies still question her motives. And, finding herself in the middle of an assassination plot against the High King himself doesn't exactly help her to fit in.

Warning: There will be mentions of torture, murder, and some scary moments. So, this is a mid to high T.

Chapter Seven: Assassins!

Sarti let out a roar of pain and warning as a shadow landed on his back and shoved a knife deep into his right shoulder while another shadow detached itself from the walls and lunged at Peter and Katerina Alambiel. Katerina pulled her pair of sai knives from their sheaths hidden under her loose tunic and sliced at the shadow's outstretched arm as it rushed by her. A glance to her right revealed Peter had heard her and Sarti's warning just in time as he dove to the right and avoided a thrown knife from the shadow that had attacked Sarti.

In the back room of the lodge, the shadows were just thick enough that their attackers were able to hide themselves until right before they lunged with flashing blades at them. Katerina shivered as she recognized the pattern of attack was almost identical to what the monster had liked to use when he played hunter and hunted with his victims. Fear and rage warred for dominance as she grappled for control over her emotions and the fight. Peter cried out in pain behind her and she became at once calm and furious. She caught her attacker off guard when she jumped up instead of dodging to the side and she kicked him hard in the chest. The attacker grunted and flew back to hit the column with a satisfying thud.

Katerina spun around and launched herself onto the back of Peter's attacker. She crossed her arms in front of the attacker and jerked back. The attacker gave an almost reptilian hiss as the blades of her sai knives slashed through their cloak and into what felt like armor. The attacker she had thrown into the column grabbed her off his partner's back and threw her against the wall. She gasped in pain as she hit the wall, but as the attackers turned back to Peter, who was lying unmoving on the ground, she launched herself at them again.

She knocked one of the attackers down and landed a swift kick to his ribs. She turned to the other attacker who raised a pair of sai knives that looked identical to her own. Katerina nearly faltered in surprise, but then she slashed her own knives at the attacker's belly and face. The attacker blocked her blows and tried to shove her aside, but Katerina held her ground. She whirled to meet each blow until her knives and the attacker's blades locked together. Katerina dropped into a half-crouch and succeeded in throwing the attacker off balance enough that she could shove them into their friend who had finally staggered to his feet. Both attackers stumbled back, and then a shout rang out from outside the entrance to the lodge. Katerina didn't pay any attention to who was shouting as she watched the two attackers look first at each other then at where she stood in between them and the fallen High King. The one she had kicked into the column pointed at her and hissed, "Next time he will be oursss and you will be ssshown your errorsss, Katerina Alambiel. The Sssorcerer Jambresss isss not a forgiving massster."

Katerina stepped back in surprise at the fact that yet another enemy of Narnia knew her name, and the two attackers disappeared into the shadows. She hesitated then turned her attention to the High King who was lying far too still for her liking. Sheathing one of her knives, she kept the other one drawn just in case the hissing assassins came back. She checked for a pulse and breathed a sigh of relief when she felt his heart going strong. Carefully sliding her hand under his head, Katerina paused when she felt a lump and a sticky liquid under her fingers. _He must have cracked his head against the edge of the rock. Thank God, it wasn't enough to do more than knock him out. Those nathracha olc (nasty snakes) of assassins better hope nothing else is wrong with him, or I will personally join Oreius and the entire army in hunting them down. _

She jerked her sai knife up as a fierce roar suddenly echoed in the structure, "Noooo!"

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Oreius charged towards the back of the lodge with swords drawn as he followed Kumbali with Ardon just behind him and Alithia following all three of them. When a dryad stopped them with the urgent message that the High King was being attacked in the lodge not even ten minutes ago, he had felt his heart drop because he should have known that if there were danger, it would find the eldest of the four monarchs. It always did.

Kumbali reached the arch leading to the back first and he immediately let out a roar, "Noooo!"

Fear spiked through Oreius and he galloped through the arch dreading what he would find. He slid to a stop as he took in the sight of Sarti lying motionless only a few feet in front of the archway. Kumbali gave a low moan then suddenly he growled as he looked at the raised platform near the back walls. Oreius followed his line of sight and he heard Ardon inhale sharply. He could hardly believe what he was seeing: Katerina Alambiel was kneeling over the High King with one of her knives raised above him and there was blood on her other hand. _Oh Aslan, let this not be as it seems._

Ardon shifted closer and asked in a soft whisper, "Why hasn't she put the knife down?"

Oreius looked closely at Katerina Alambiel and noticed the hand holding the knife was shaking slightly and she kept glancing at the shadows along the walls near the columns. He sheathed his swords, but motioned for Ardon to keep his claymore out. "Kumbali, check the walls near the columns for any sign of intruders or how they might have entered without anyone being aware of their presence."

The Tiger was unhappy but he knew better than to disobey a direct order, so he dutifully started searching for scents. Alithia immediately moved to the fallen Sarti and began checking the Tiger for signs of life. Waving Ardon to move to the left of the room, Oreius now concentrated on calming a terrified Katerina down before she unintentionally caused the High King further harm. He was careful to keep his voice calm and even as he began approaching her from the right. "Be at ease, Katerina Alambiel, the only ones here are friends to you and to the High King. Katerina, are you listening? Put the knife down and tell us what happened."

She began lowering the knife but then Kumbali growled in frustration from the far corner of the room, causing Katerina to jerk in surprise. For a moment, Oreius thought she was going to drop the knife and run, but instead she tightened her grip on the knife. She edged closer to the High King and raised her knife. Oreius stopped his advance and saw Ardon look at him in surprise as the captain realized that Katerina Alambiel was not seeing them but the terrors of her past and instead of running, she was determined to protect one she considered a friend. Something had pushed her too far after she had so recently relived her personal terrors and now she saw the world in a mix of memories and reality. He doubted being in the shadowed recesses of the darkened back room was helping the situation. He had to find a way to get through to her. "Katerina Alambiel, listen to me. You are free, you are alive, and the one who harmed you can do so no longer. There is no one here who will harm you or the High King. Put the knife down and tell us what happened."

She shivered from more than the slight chill in the afternoon air and he could see the shaking in her hand increase until she tightened her grip on the knife again causing both her knuckles and her star-shaped scar to turn white. She glanced from him to the shadows then finally back to him. He prayed this meant she was starting to see him instead of some dark memory. "Eagla orm, Oreius. Cad a dhéanfaidh mé?" _(__I am afraid, Oreius. What do I do?__)_

Oreius paused as he tried to guess the meaning of her words and determine what she had asked him. _Is she telling me she's scared? Oh Aslan, what has she asked? How can I answer when I don't even understand the question?_ He didn't have time to linger, he could see the fear in her eyes as she heard only silence at least from him. He stepped closer to where she knelt by the High King with one hand resting protectively on his shoulder and leaned towards her. "I know you are frightened, Katerina Alambiel. Have you not said that you trusted me? Trust me now when I tell you there is none here who will harm you or Peter. Hand me the knife and let Alithia see to Peter. Trust me, Katerina Alambiel."

For the first time since he had entered this back room, he began to see a flicker of recognition and control appear amidst the terror contained in Katerina's eyes. She released a shuddering breath and set the pommel of her knife in his open hand. Oreius shoved it into his sword harness as Katerina looked first at him then at the High King. Alithia moved from Sarti's side, giving a reassuring nod to Kumbali when she passed him on her way to assess High King Peter. Katerina didn't react to her approach at all, instead she just stared down at her hands and spoke in a soft, broken tone. "They came from the shadows. Attacked us, Sarti had no chance. Peter struck his head on that rock I think. They used the shadows to hide, to hunt, and I cannot... I cannot a bheith anseo. Gan anois, ní tar éis this." _(...be in here. Not now, not after this.)_ She shook her head slightly as she finally looked up, "I am sorry, but I cannot."

Katerina Alambiel looked pale and shaken, but when she glanced up at them, her eyes proved her focus was entirely on the present so Oreius allowed her to leave. He was confident she wouldn't go far. The High King stirred as Alithia examined him and tried to sit up only to be pushed back down by the Centauress. "Do not try to move just yet, your majesty, you took quite a hit to the head. Give yourself time. Fortunately, the lump on the back of your head seems to be the only wound."

Ardon came back from where he had been conversing with Kumbali with a troubled expression. "General Oreius, Kumbali reports that there are no scents along the walls other than that belonging to Katerina Alambiel and nothing else beside our own scents. There doesn't seem to have been anyone in here other than Katerina, the High King, and Sarti. Perhaps there was an accident or perhaps she was used to act the part of assassin without realizing it."

Oreius stamped a hoof, "We will hear what the High King has to say about it and then we speak to Katerina Alambiel about what she saw. There is an explanation for all of this, I am certain."

"For her sake, I hope it is not the explanation that is the most readily apparent."

Oreius nodded then Alithia called to them as she helped High King Peter to sit up. Kumbali remained by the still form of his unconscious cousin while Oreius and Ardon quickly walked over to their king. Peter winced as he carefully tilted his head up to look at them, "General, Captain, how much time has passed since you left? Did the patrol arrive?"

"Sire, it has been just under fifteen minutes since we parted ways. The patrol has not arrived yet, and Captain Sherket will greet them in your absence if necessary. But, you must tell us what happened."

Oreius was disappointed when Peter looked around in bewilderment then admitted in a low voice, "I'm afraid I can't remember clearly what happened after Sarti was attacked. I know Katerina was involved in what happened because she called my name before a knife was thrown at me. Then I was knocked down and I hit my head and I remember nothing else until I woke up just now. Where is Katerina?"

Oreius suppressed a sigh as he answered in an equally low voice. "She is outside the lodge. I will question her while you head back to the camp. Perhaps when Sarti regains consciousness, he will be able to help us determine how this attack occurred." Peter nodded.

Oreius stood in the lodge's large shadow and watched as the High King led the small group through the trees while Ardon and Alithia carefully supported Sarti between them and Kumbali brought up the rear. When they disappeared from sight, he turned and walked around the far side of the old hunting lodge. It was time to speak with Katerina Alambiel.

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**A/N: Please Read and Review! Look, I left Peter alive! Of course, surviving the story is still questionable. :) I actually rewrote this chapter because in the original version Sarti died, but then I decided to keep him around for at least a little longer. I hope y'all like the end result. Click the little review button and tell me what y'all think is going to happen next and if you liked the hisssing asssasssinsss. Any guessess as to what they are?**


	9. Chapter Eight: Answers? Part 1

Disclaimer: I don't own Narnia or any characters you may recognize from the books or the movies, I wish I did but I don't... I also don't own the Narnian Calendar. It belongs to Elecktrum who was kind enough to let me borrow it for my story. Her own stories are awesome and you should go read them too.

Summary: In the aftermath of rescuing Queen Lucy from an evil sorcerer, Katerina Alambiel struggles to find her place while some of the Narnians closest to the Pevensies still question her motives. And, finding herself in the middle of an assassination plot against the High King himself doesn't exactly help her to fit in.

Warning: There will be mentions of torture, murder, and some scary moments. So, this is a mid to high T.

Chapter Eight: Answers? Part One

Oreius didn't have to look for very long before he found Katerina Alambiel leaning against one of the stone pillars framing what had once been a pavilion hidden amongst a grove of aspen trees just to the northwest of the old hunting lodge. She glanced over her shoulder at his approach then she turned back to watching something in the distance. After what happened in the lodge, he wasn't sure if she was looking at something from the here and now or something from her past. She raised a shaking hand to brush a loose strand of hair out of her face and spoke without looking at him. "An bhfuil sé ag dul a bheith ceart go leor?"

Before he could even attempt to figure out what she had asked, Katerina heaved an exasperated sigh. "Sorry, Kentauri. Let me ask that again, this time in a language that you understand. Is he going to be alright? Sarti, I mean."

"He's unconscious, but Alithia believes he will recover since we got there fast enough to keep him from losing too much blood."

Katerina nodded then crossed her arms as she asked, "And Peter?"

"The blow to his head was only hard enough to leave him with a headache."

Katerina seemed to hear something in his voice as she half-turned towards him. "But?"

"However, he could remember essentially nothing of the attack except for the fact that you were involved in it and called his name right before a knife was thrown at him." Oreius paused when Katerina stiffened but when she didn't react further, he brought up the point that puzzled him most. "Kumbali couldn't find any sign of attackers. He says it smells like only you, the High King, and Sarti were in that back room."

Katerina shook her head, "That's impossible. There were two others in that room and they attacked all three of us. Perhaps, Peter doesn't remember because he hit his head. But, the attackers were there, they should have left a scent or something behind. It doesn't make any sense."

Oreius knew Katerina Alambiel would not like his next question, but he needed to be certain. "Are you confident that these attackers were not simply an illusion? You were having difficulty discerning the past from the present not even five minutes ago. Are you sure you didn't experience something similar when you entered the back room?"

Katerina spun to look up at him with almost as much fury as the night he had questioned her involvement with the murders Jannes had been responsible for. Her eyes flashed with anger as she spoke with painstaking control. "Do you suggest that I imagined this attack? Or perhaps just who really was responsible for it? I may have issues, Oreius, but hallucinations are not one of them. Yes, it scared me that these assassins were using the shadows in the exact same manner that the monster would play hunter and hunted. And, I may have been dealing with the flashbacks of that particular horrifying time of my life, but that wasn't until after those nathracha olc of assassins disappeared back into the shadows as you entered the lodge. I know what I saw back there, and it wasn't a figment of my imagination. I fought them, I touched them, I kicked them, and I heard one of them speak. A hallucination may be very detailed, but have you ever heard of one that revealed information unknown to the person experiencing it?"

Oreius was forced to admit he had not, and Katerina continued in a slightly calmer tone though her eyes still flashed with anger. "One of them, he said that Peter would be theirs next time and I would be shown my errors. Then he said that the Sorcerer Jambres was not a forgiving master. After that little tidbit, they disappeared into the shadows. You missed them by a minute or two at the most."

Oreius frowned and tapped his left forehoof, "Jambres, not Jannes? And, this attacker called you by name?"

The anger suddenly vanished from her eyes only to be replaced by a mix of weariness and annoyance as she rubbed her forehead and sighed. "Yes, he addressed me as 'Katerina Alambiel' and don't ask me why yet another sorcerer is sending messages to me via whatever minion is available because I have no idea. Although, I am starting to think that there was an evil sorcerer's convention and everyone in attendance agreed to send minions with personal messages for me just so they could make my life miserable."

She paused then looked up at him, "Oreius, there was one other thing that stood out about the shadowed assassins. They hissed like some type of reptile, especially when the one spoke to me."

Oreius shook his head, _Impossible, they were wiped out over six hundred years ago._ "I will make sure neither you nor the High King are left unprotected until we determine whether the threat has passed or not. Not even assassins can attack where there is no opening for them to exploit. Katerina Alambiel, I am ordering you not to say anything further about what happened here until I've had the chance to speak with Sarti. A patrol has come to a camp by now, and I do not know which one it is yet. If certain Narnians heard your story, they would assume everything but that you are telling the truth. I will not have what happened with Alaois repeat itself. Come, it is nearly sunset and we must return to the camp before someone comes searching for us."

Katerina Alambiel gave him a look that told him she had not missed the fact that he didn't say what the assassins could have been, but she said nothing. He returned her knife right before she mounted Sasha. They quickly returned to the clearing where camp had been pitched, but not quickly enough to beat the patrol. Oreius heard Katerina sigh and he nearly joined her when he saw the patrol was led by Pyrrhos, the older Satyr was among the officers who readily blamed Katerina Alambiel for Alaois' demotion, and Alaois was also present. Both Satyrs turned from speaking to Kumbali at their approach to stare at Katerina with more than a little distrust.

Oreius met their stares with a hard gaze of his own, and, as he had hoped, they quickly turned back to Kumbali though Alaois took a little longer to look away than his captain. He turned to Katerina who had dismounted and had hidden all of her emotions behind a mask of studied indifference. "Tend to Sasha, and then see if Alithia has need of you."

Katerina nodded and he saw a hint of relief in her eyes probably over being able to delay a confrontation with the Satyrs for at least a little while. Unfortunately, he was not so lucky and he prayed Aslan would give him patience as he dealt with the two prejudiced and annoying Satyrs who wasted no time in coming up to him as soon as Katerina Alambiel left his side. Once again, he repressed the urge to sigh. It was going to be a long night.

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**A/N: Please Read and Review! This was originally one huge chapter but I split it up so I could start posting again. I hope to post several more chapters over the weekend...including more action and trouble for our good guys. Click the little review button below and tell me what y'all think about the story, the chapter, and what trouble is going to happen now that Alaois is back in the picture.**


	10. Chapter Nine: Answers? Part 2

Disclaimer: I don't own Narnia or any characters you may recognize from the books or the movies, I wish I did but I don't... I also don't own the Narnian Calendar. It belongs to Elecktrum who was kind enough to let me borrow it for my story. Her own stories are awesome and you should go read them too.

Summary: In the aftermath of rescuing Queen Lucy from an evil sorcerer, Katerina Alambiel struggles to find her place while some of the Narnians closest to the Pevensies still question her motives. And, finding herself in the middle of an assassination plot against the High King himself doesn't exactly help her to fit in.

Warning: There will be mentions of torture, murder, and some scary moments. So, this is a mid to high T.

Chapter Nine: Answers? Part Two

Peter sat up expectantly as Sherket poked her head through the open flap of his tent, "Majesty, General Oreius has returned with Katerina Alambiel. He awaits your presence with Captain Pyrrhos."

"Thank you, Captain Sherket." He exited the tent then looked down at the Leopard Captain, "And, what of Katerina Alambiel?"

The Leopard tilted her head slightly, "She has gone to assist Alithia with the injured. She looked calm when she passed me."

"Good. Thank you, Sherket." Satisfied that he didn't need to immediately visit with Katerina, Peter followed Sherket as she led the way to the large tent where Oreius, Ardon, and Pyrrhos had already gathered. Pyrrhos fell silent as soon as he saw them approaching, but judging by the identical stern looks on the two Centaurs' faces, Peter had no doubt the Satyr captain had been complaining and it was most likely about either Katerina Alambiel or Alaois' situation or both. Steeling himself, Peter stepped inside and nodded to each officer while Sherket released the ties holding the tent flaps open.

As soon as the flaps fell and gave them a modicum of privacy, Peter turned to the Satyr captain. "Captain Pyrrhos, your scouts mentioned a skirmish occurred between your patrol and Werewolves. Tell us what happened."

The Satyr captain snorted in disgust, "Just before fourth hour, a group of Werewolves attacked my patrol forty miles east of here. It was an ambush, but we managed to kill at least half of them before they gave up and fled. Whoever told them there was a patrol coming must not have bothered with the bit about fighting back. We defended ourselves and won, but we paid a price of two dead and another eight injured out of my original twenty-five."

Peter frowned slightly at the possibility someone had betrayed a patrol's route to Narnia's enemies. Pyrrhos snorted again and watched him carefully as he spoke in a low tone. "The Tiger Kumbali told me your majesty had difficulty of your own to deal with just this afternoon. Difficulty which left his young cousin at death's door and would have proved your majesty's downfall as well had he and the Centaurs not returned at such an opportune moment. He also mentioned that there was no sign of an intruder, only ones there were yourself, his cousin, and Katerina Alambiel. Perhaps the one responsible for the two incidents is not so very far away?"

Peter gave the Satyr captain a hard look even though he was careful to keep his tone even, "Captain Pyrrhos, you should choose your words with care ere I might think you were accusing Katerina Alambiel of being an enemy of Narnia without cause or proof. The incident at the lodge is not currently being discussed as we still do not have all the information necessary to make a sound decision on the matter save for taking extra precautions. I believe General Oreius has already begun arranging for those precautions, am I correct?"

Oreius flicked his tail as he met Pyrrhos' gaze, "Yes, your majesty, the timely arrival of Pyrrhos' patrol has allowed me to place more sufficient precautions in place."

Peter nodded and turned to Ardon expectantly, but a call from outside the tent pulled his attention away from the meeting. Sherket ducked outside then poked her head back in, "Sarti has regained consciousness."

Peter immediately pulled open the tent flap then paused and looked back at the three officers, "We'll continue this meeting after we've heard what Sarti has to say."

He hurried from the tent with the other right behind him, they needed Sarti to give them a hint as to what had happened. Peter prayed to Aslan that it would confirm whatever Katerina had told Oreius. With Pyrrhos and Alaois present, that confirmation could be the only thing that would keep Katerina Alambiel safe from an accusation of attempted murder and attempted assassination of a royal.

Alithia had moved Sarti towards the back of her tent, which had been turned into an impromptu healer's ward with the arrival of Pyrrhos' injured soldiers. As he approached, he noticed Katerina was near the center of the tent with her back to him as she wrapped a bandage around the arm of a Faun archer. Alithia stopped him and delivered a quiet warning, "He is very weak from the blood loss, your majesty, so keep the conversation short. If it were not so important to have his information, I would not allow it. Be quick."

Peter took Alithia's warning to heart especially when he saw the slight glaze of pain in the young Tiger's eyes as he turned to face him. "Majesty...you are safe."

Oreius and Ardon stood a few feet back with Pyrrhos standing beside Alithia, and completely confident that their better sense of hearing would allow them to follow the conversation Peter looked down at Sarti with gentle compassion. "Yes, good my Tiger, thanks in no small part to your warning. Cousin, might you be able to tell me who attacked you?"

Sarti tried to raise his head, but he was too weak do so. He gave a soft growl, "It is a confusing image, like I've two different memories of the same event. In one, I see a shadow drop onto my back and stab me in the shoulder while you and Katerina are in front of me..."

Peter waited as Sarti broke into a coughing fit, then he asked the question he wasn't sure he wanted to be answered. "And, in the other, Cousin?"

"In the other...I see Katerina Alambiel attack me. But, the images overlap and I cannot say for certain which is real. I am sorry...I have only...brought confusion."

Peter shook his head, "Nonsense, Cousin, it merely means things are not as they seem. You have done well. Now rest and listen to Alithia."

He couldn't help feeling a twinge of empathy for Sarti as the usually energetic Tiger was so worn out that he just closed his eyes and gave a little sigh before Peter had even risen to his feet. He glanced at Alithia who gave him a reassuring look as she passed him to check the Tiger, then he noticed that Katerina, who had obviously not heard a word spoken by Sarti, had just finished cleansing the scratches a Serval had sustained across her back. He waved for Oreius and the captains to accompany him, then he stopped beside Katerina who looked him over apparently to judge his well-being for herself. "Katerina, please come with us. I would like to hear what you have to say about this afternoon's events." As he expected, Katerina Alambiel made no protest and simply walked beside him all the way to the large meeting tent. He wondered if she knew the kind of opposition she would face as soon as she stepped into that tent. Perhaps, but given what he had so recently learned of her past and what he knew of her character, Peter doubted that the potential rants from a prejudiced army officer would phase her all that much.

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Jambres paced in front of the large slab of black ice trying to resist the urge to break someone. A Ghoul hesitantly entered the room at that moment and Jambres snapped a hissed phrase. With a shriek, the Ghoul fell to the floor and writhered in pain as the spell slowly drained the life from the miserable creature. He glared at the body then snatched up his black staff. If he wanted things down right, he would have to do it himself. The assassins would try one more time, but he would use Medea's little _gift_ for a different plan than his sister had intended. Opening a small portal, he quickly stepped from his sister's castle into his own little hideaway that was so much closer to his prey. Something was off about their original plan. He could feel it. So, he would arrange for a personal chat with the one piece of the board that refused to cooperate, Katerina Alambiel.

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**A/N: Please Read and Review! What do y'all think is going to happen next? What is Jambres up to now? Another assassination attempt is on the way, will Peter escape again? Will they succeed in framing Katerina? Click the little review button below and let me know what y'all think.**


	11. Chapter Ten: Shadowed

Disclaimer: I don't own Narnia or any characters you may recognize from the books or the movies, I wish I did but I don't... I also don't own the Narnian Calendar. It belongs to Elecktrum who was kind enough to let me borrow it for my story. Her own stories are awesome and you should go read them too.

Summary: In the aftermath of rescuing Queen Lucy from an evil sorcerer, Katerina Alambiel struggles to find her place while some of the Narnians closest to the Pevensies still question her motives. And, finding herself in the middle of an assassination plot against the High King himself doesn't exactly help her to fit in.

Warning: There will be mentions of torture, murder, and some scary moments. So, this is a mid to high T.

Chapter Ten: Shadowed

_I cannot believe I'm hearing this. Why can't these people understand that I wasn't involved in trying to kill Peter or Sarti. _Katerina hid a grimace and corrected herself because she knew very well that Oreius believed in her innocence and so did Peter and Ardon, if only because they trusted Oreius' word on the matter. No, the problem was that Pyrrhos was even louder, more obnoxious, and more belligerent about her guilt than Alaois had been six months ago. Unspoken was the accusation that she was a witch, but everyone in the meeting knew it was there.

Pyrrhos stood tall as he finally came to the end of what had proved to be a very longwinded speech. "The Tiger Sarti's testimony of remembering two versions of events and your majesty's own lack of recall points to the use of sorcery in this blatant attempt on your life. The only person who has no such tampering with their memories is the one who benefits most from a favorable telling of events. It is most convenient for events to play out this way."

Katerina firmly tamped down on her temper before she spoke again. "Captain Pyrrhos, have you considered that I am telling the truth?"

The old Satyr gave her look full of condescension and distrust, "I suppose you deny that sorcery was involved in the attempt on the High King's life?"

"No." Katerina felt a flicker of amusement as the Satyr captain stepped back in surprise at her candid answer, then she continued with a confidence that surprised herself. "It is obvious that sorcery was involved, how else can you explain the conflicting evidence that is found solely in Sarti's testimony? However, I was not involved with performing such sorcery nor could I accomplish such a feat as I do not possess the power, skill, or knowledge to do so. The fact of the matter is that an attempt on the High King's life occurred by assassins whom I gather are not the average lot and they seemed to be aided by sorcery. I know I am not responsible for this attack and, whether you choose to believe me or not, rest assured that I will do everything possible to prevent such an attack from occurring again and to find the one who is actually behind this plot against the High King."

Pyrrhos scowled, "You speak as if you know there will be more attempts on the High King's life. Perhaps you also know when, where, and how these attempts will be made or even the name of the mastermind behind these attempts?"

Katerina paused and looked at Oreius, who gave her brief nod, then she turned back to Pyrrhos. "Unfortunately, I do not know the specifics other than there will be another attempt to kill the High King. However, I do know the name of the one who is the mastermind of this plot. A sorcerer by the name of Jambres."

Pyrrhos stepped closer to her and suspicion crept into his voice as he questioned her, "And, just how do you know the name of this sorcerer?"

Katerina didn't even blink as she stated, "One of the assassins told me."

A strange mix of triumph, suspicion, and disbelief entered Pyrrhos' voice as the old Satyr stepped even closer to her. "One of the assassins told you? Why would they do such a thing? Unless…unless you already knew of Jambres and his plot. You decided to back Jambres instead of Jannes, which is the real reason you slew Jannes. Kill a rival sorcerer and be perceived as an ally and friend to the royals until the opportune moment presented itself for your real plan to be enacted. It took a while, though, so your master, or perhaps even partner, decided to arrange an attack to hurry you along, of course that's if there really were other assassins in the lodge. Either way your master Jambres did you a disservice since he revealed your part in the plot prematurely."

Katerina repressed the urge to throw something very heavy at the irritating Satyr's head, maybe it would knock some reality into him but she rather doubted it. "Captain Pyrrhos, let me make myself perfectly clear to you and everyone else. Jambres is neither my master nor my partner. I never heard of him before this afternoon. I am not a witch, a traitor, a spy, or an assassin. The only disservice Jambres did me was deciding to imply that I am working with him when those willing to believe such a thing are around. I did not already know of Jambres or his plot. I found out about the plot when one of two assassins decided to jump out of the shadows. The assassins were not what I would consider normal, but they were very real. They were quick and strong and they spoke like a reptilian, and since I have never heard or encountered anyone like that, I think it's next to impossible for me to have made them up. Of course, I also think it is rather farfetched that you seem to believe I am capable of such deception and cunning when you speak to me as if I've less wit than a stone. And, let's not forget that there isn't much of a reason to wait until I was out here alone with the High King if I were to accidently kill him. The logical plan would have been to have a training accident shortly after I chose to accept the invitation to stay in Cair Paravel when it still would have been believable for me to make such a mistake and have the High King suffer the effects. Of course, the odds of that happening were slim to none anyway since I was not allowed to spar with any but the sword masters until two months ago, which was well after I could be excused as a beginner with unfortunate luck should such an accident have occurred. So, the most reasonable and logical conclusion is that I am telling the truth and there are a pair of assassins, who also happen to be in the employ of a sorcerer, waiting for the opportune moment to attack the High King again."

Pyrrhos stepped back and shook his head in disgust, "You are insane."

Katerina shrugged, "Probably, but it doesn't mean I'm wrong."

Peter stirred from his spot and looked at the two Centaurs expectantly, "General, Captain, you both look like you have something to add. Perhaps a theory as to the identity of these assassins?"

Katerina straightened slightly as Oreius and Ardon exchanged a look before Oreius nodded for the captain to speak. "Your majesty, the description shared by Katerina Alambiel is unusual and puts me in mind of a race of creatures who were never friends of Narnia, the Muhuru. They were a reptilian people who lived far to the southwest of Carlomen, but they were oft hired to come north and kill defenders or diplomats and once a king of Archenland as well as a king of Narnia. They were capable of blending into the shadows as if they were part of them and they would use this skill readily in their assassinations and kidnappings. After King Gale's youngest daughter and niece were killed, he led a campaign to wipe out them out. As far as anyone knew, the campaign was a success as the Muhuru were never seen again." Ardon paused and gave Katerina an assessing look before he continued. "The likelihood of Muhuru reappearing over six hundred years later is slim, though not completely impossible especially if a sorcerer is involved."

Pyrrhos gave a skeptical snort but for once the Satyr said nothing as Peter looked from the Centaurs to Katerina then he asked in a low voice, "Were the Muhuru known for leaving no scent behind?"

Katerina knew the answer as soon as both Oreius and Ardon glanced at her before Ardon answered the king, "No, your majesty."

Peter sighed, "An extinct race of assassins, who leave no scent behind, and another sorcerer up to no good. Well, Katerina Alambiel, I have to admit that since you came, life in Narnia has certainly become even more interesting."

Katerina gave him a quick smile, "Are you rescinding my invitation?"

The three captains and General Oreius all froze as Peter raised his eyebrows at her, and then slowly shook his head. "You've not done a single thing that would warrant such an action on my part. Besides, I do not want to be the one to send you away when Lucy is so attached to your company." She bowed her head in acquiescence and Peter dismissed everyone. She left the tent and breathed a prayer of thanks that she hadn't been condemned, well, except for in Pyrrhos' mind.

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Jambres smirked as he watched the Centaur general attempt to secure the camp to the point that his assassins could not enter without being spotted. Oh, if only he knew that they were already closer than he could guess. Jambres set his spell into motion and gloated as danger crept through the shadows towards the Narnians and their precious High King. When this was over, he would have Narnia and Alambiel at his beck and call.

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Katerina Alambiel quietly walked through the woods just north of where they had made camp. After three hours of stares, glares, and whispers, she just had to get away. She had ducked into her tent with every intention of just hiding out there until morning, but after an hour, it proved almost as irritating as being on the receiving end of the soldiers' gossip and suspicion. She had wandered over to the north boundary near one of the Faun archers who looked askance at her presence until he was called away by Alaois. She took the opportunity to leave the camp completely and steadily worked her way to the old pavilion. It was a thirty-five minute walk, and her absence had probably been discovered by now but she figured if she apologized enough times, eventually Oreius would forgive her for slipping out of camp without telling anyone again. She just needed to be alone for a little bit.

She reached the columns framing the remains of the pavilion and ran her hand over the cool, weatherworn surface. The feel of the rough texture helped anchor her as everything that had happened in the past two days replayed itself in her thoughts. She scowled as the fact that yet another evil sorcerer was trying to make her his pawn and scapegoat crossed her mind. It was only the second time, but she was already tired of it.

_At least, there aren't any Werewolves this time. Just extinct assassins being helped along by sorcery._ Katerina froze as a new thought occurred to her. She had something still to do before she officially called it a night. She abruptly left the pavilion and hurried into the shadowed woods while above her the full moon was suddenly shrouded by black clouds.

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Peter looked up at the sound of someone entering his tent, his hand straying to Rhindon out of habit. Then he relaxed as he recognized his visitor. "Oh, it's you, Katerina. Did you need something?"

Katerina nodded silently as she stepped closer to him. Peter frowned as he realized something was missing. "I say, Katerina, did you lose your-" He never got the chance to finish as Katerina lunged forward and buried her knife in his shoulder. He choked as pain crashed over him in waves. Katerina smirked and blew a kiss at him before she ran out of the tent. He staggered after her, but he only managed to clear his tent and fall to his knees in front of a startled Oreius and Sherket before the last of his strength fled and he lost his fight against the looming blackness.

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**A/N: I know, I know, I am an evil and cruel author to create such a cliffhanger. Please read and review! Review and I'll post the next chapter faster! Click the little review button below and tell me what you think will (or want to) happen next.**


	12. Chapter Eleven: Foes Abound

Disclaimer: I don't own Narnia or any characters you may recognize from the books or the movies, I wish I did but I don't... I also don't own the Narnian Calendar. It belongs to Elecktrum who was kind enough to let me borrow it for my story. Her own stories are awesome and you should go read them too.

Summary: In the aftermath of rescuing Queen Lucy from an evil sorcerer, Katerina Alambiel struggles to find her place while some of the Narnians closest to the Pevensies still question her motives. And, finding herself in the middle of an assassination plot against the High King himself doesn't exactly help her to fit in.

Warning: There will be mentions of torture, murder, and some scary moments. So, this is a mid to high T.

Chapter Eleven: Foes Abound

Oreius stared in horror as the High King collapsed to the ground only a moment after Katerina ran from his tent. The dark red stain across Peter's chest continued to blossom as Sherket pressed her paws around the wound in an attempt to staunch the flow. His worst nightmare was coming to life before his eyes. Alithia galloped up with Ardon right behind her. The healer quickly knelt beside the king and checked for a pulse. It had been nearly three decades since he had last seen Alithia look so uncertain and that had been when she tended to his father as he lay dying in the aftermath of the unsuccessful uprising against the White Witch.

Leaving Alithia to tend the High King, Oreius summoned Prochorea the Golden Eagle and commanded her to travel with all haste to Cair Paravel, then he sent Kerwin the Coyote to the Shuddering Woods with instructions to find the Gentle Queen. He turned as Kumbali ran up to him followed by one of the Faun archers, "General, Katerina just ran into the woods north of the camp!"

Pyrrhos and Ardon both looked at him ready for the one set of orders Oreius had hoped he would never have to give, "Pyrrhos, you're with me. Gather ten of your fastest soldiers and head for the northern tree line. We need to catch Katerina Alambiel. Fortunately, she cannot be far ahead of us. Ardon, you and Sherket guard the king and the camp until we return with Katerina Alambiel. Kumbali, lead the way!"

Oreius stayed fast on Kumbali's heels as the Tiger ran through the camp and north to the woods. The fear that he would return to find the High King dead was pushed firmly to the back of his mind. Instead, he focused on following the dim outline of the Tiger as they ran through an almost unnatural gloom. _Aslan, protect us all._

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Katerina paused as a faint whisper echoed through the trees to her right. She whirled around but no one was there. Then another whisper echoed, "Here. Come help me." She hesitated then headed through the trees in search of whoever was responsible for the faint cries of help. The whispers and cries led her back south as she picked up her pace and ran through the trees until she came to an abrupt stop. Someone was following her. She could feel it.

Another faint whisper echoed, "Alambiel...behind you. Danger."

She whirled around with her hand reaching over her shoulder for a sword pommel that wasn't there. She had left Chrysaor in her tent...her knives! A shadow detached itself from the deeper blackness of the woods. "Don't run."

Katerina froze as she stared in shock at the figure, "You!"

Alaois snorted as he walked over to her and looked around at the tangled copse of holly and birch, "Me. For someone who claims innocence, you certainly manage to create doubt through your actions. Why are you out here, Katerina Alambiel? Do you have a secret meeting?"

Katerina scowled, "No. I'm over here because I heard someone calling for help."

The Satyr tilted his head and she could just make out the skeptical look on his face through the darkness. She frowned in confusion, "What happened to the moon?"

She sensed more than saw Alaois turn sharply towards her, "The moon has been hidden by the clouds for nearly an hour. It's unnatural and probably conjured by your sorcerer. Do you not remember?"

Katerina paused then slowly shook her head, "I don't...I...the last thing I remember clearly was being out by the pavilion. Everything after that is a haze right up until I heard the whispers."

Alaois stared at her, "Where are your knives?"

"I-"

Katerina cut herself off as Alaois suddenly stepped back and raised a hand for silence. "Shh, do you hear that?" The Satyr moved past her to inspect a series of shadows at the far side of the small copse of trees.

Another whisper echoed behind her, "Alambiel...come." She turned just as something brushed against her back. A low growl was the only warning she received before a long shadow leaped out of the trees and lunged at her. She dropped to the ground and rolled to the right. She jumped back to her feet and stopped as she recognized who had tried to attack her. "Kumbali?"

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Oreius ducked under a low-hanging tree branch and slowed slightly as Pyrrhos dashed in front of him. They had both seen Kumbali abruptly charge through the underbrush to their left and knew the Tiger's quarry must not be far ahead. Kumbali reappeared as the Tiger flung himself through the air with a growl. Oreius scowled and increased his pace in order to reach the Tiger before he allowed his anger to overrule his common sense. He entered the copse to find Kumbali circling Katerina Alambiel who was standing very still with her hands held away from her body as she tried to reason with the irate Tiger. "Kumbali, stand down."

The Tiger growled but slowly backed away from Katerina. Oreius held out his left arm to stay the other soldiers as they too entered the copse with steel or claw bared. Katerina started to lower her hands but the warning growls caused her to stop, she looked up at him in clear frustration. "For what reason do you act this way?"

Pyrrhos bristled as he stepped toward her with his sword raised, "You dare to pretend you have no knowledge of what has happened? You will not be able to fool anyone into believing you innocent this time, witch. Not when you buried your knife in our king's shoulder not even fifteen minutes ago."

Oreius growled a warning as the Satyr captain stepped closer to Katerina, "Pyrrhos, no further."

The Satyr stopped his advance, but Katerina Alambiel didn't react to his movements as she glanced over her shoulder then back at Oreius with a lost and confused look. "I didn't do that...I wouldn't do that. You know I would not do such a thing."

Oreius stared down at her and forced himself to show no emotion. He didn't know how to reconcile the Katerina he thought he knew with the Katerina he had seen run from the High King's tent only seconds before Peter had staggered out and collapsed at his feet. "Where have you been if you did not attack the High King?"

Katerina shook her head, "I...I left the camp to be alone for a little while and I seem to have lost some time."

Oreius raised an eyebrow, "What do you mean?"

Katerina glanced from him to Pyrrhos before she clarified in a quiet tone, "I mean I have no firm recollection of my whereabouts or...my actions since just before the moon was shadowed by the clouds. I can't say for certain where I have been, but I cannot believe that I would attack Peter."

Pyrrhos snorted and raised his sword again, "Well, since your knife was easily identified as the one in the High King's shoulder, I say you have your answer and we have ours. You were the only one who could have attacked the High King and you've no proof to deny the charge."

Movement in the shadowed corner of the copse caught Oreius' eye as he looked over Katerina's head. The Satyr Alaois looked as if he had eaten something very bitter as he walked over to stand behind and to the right of Katerina. "As much as I hate to admit it, Katerina Alambiel is innocent in this case. Captain Pyrrhos, General Oreius, I have been following her since she slipped away from camp and for the last hour she has done naught but walk around in circles. Fifteen minutes ago she was ten miles north and west of the camp, which means there is no way she could have been the one to attack the High King. She was framed."

Pyrrhos sputtered in outrage as Alaois shifted his weight and continued in a more reluctant tone, "And, I saw a shadow disappear into the copse shortly after I followed her here. Then another shadow brushed by her not a moment before Kumbali leaped at her. She was led here and..."

Oreius felt a thread of fear and doubt rise up as he came to the same realization as the Satyr. "So were we. Back to the camp! Make haste!" Alaois grabbed Katerina Alambiel by the arm and pulled her through the woods as Oreius, Pyrrhos, and the other soldiers ran behind and beside them. Oreius kept a watchful eye on Katerina and the Satyr as they ran ahead of him, but his main concern dwelled on what they might find at the camp. Was the High King still alive or, Aslan help them, dead?

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Jambres scowled as the confrontation between Katerina Alambiel and the Narnians didn't last nearly as long as he had hoped. The fact that the Satyr who hated her would prove an honorable witness had not occurred to him. Bah, he should have instructed the assassins to kill anyone who happened to be with Alambiel. And, he wasn't certain if the boy who pretended to be High King was actually dead. The Muhuru were no longer as effective as he had remembered them before King Gale got so touchy about his daughter and niece being abducted and killed. Well, Mother always said that if you wanted an abduction and murder done right, you had to do it yourself.

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Katerina couldn't help feeling somewhat afraid of returning to the camp where Peter apparently lay dying. She wondered how the assassins had managed to trick Oreius of all people into believing she had been the responsible party. Of course, given how attached Murphy and his law were to her, it just figured that she would be framed for this entire mess. Not to mention, the Sorcerer Jambres probably had a few tricks of his own to help Murphy out. _I am never going on another vacation again._

Alaois suddenly pulled her to a halt on a small hill overlooking the camp and looked at her with a concern she had never seen before, at least not for her. "When we enter the camp, run and get your weapons without stopping for anyone or anything."

Oreius stopped beside them and pulled his twin swords free of their sheaths. "Listen to him, Katerina Alambiel, and pray to Aslan that we survive this night."

Katerina followed the Centaur's gaze and gasped. Out of the unnatural gloom, Werewolves were rushing the camp from every direction but their own. Alaois pulled her into a run as Oreius reared up behind them and let loose a battle cry, "For Narnia and for Aslan!"

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**A/N: Please read and review! We're nearing the climax of the story where all the twists and turns (well, most of them) will be ironed out. Peter's fate is still in the air and so is Katerina's of course. Click the little review button below and let me know what y'all think is going to happen next. Also, I'm taking requests for future stories, so if there's a particular adventure you want to see, please include it in your review or send it via PM and I'll do my best to accommodate you.**


	13. Chapter Twelve: Attack by Darkness

Disclaimer: I don't own Narnia or any characters you may recognize from the books or the movies, I wish I did but I don't... I also don't own the Narnian Calendar. It belongs to Elecktrum who was kind enough to let me borrow it for my story. Her own stories are awesome and you should go read them too.

Summary: In the aftermath of rescuing Queen Lucy from an evil sorcerer, Katerina Alambiel struggles to find her place while some of the Narnians closest to the Pevensies still question her motives. And, finding herself in the middle of an assassination plot against the High King himself doesn't exactly help her to fit in.

Warning: There will be mentions of torture, murder, and some scary moments. So, this is a mid to high T.

Chapter Twelve: Attack by Darkness

"For Narnia and for Aslan!" The call echoed back and forth between the defenders of the camp and Oreius' group. He noted with grim satisfaction that the Werewolves were a little surprised to meet resistance as they reached the camp. They must have assumed the darkness would protect them longer. As they came closer to the camp, Oreius worked together with Kumbali and Alaois to protect Katerina Alambiel until she had the chance to arm herself. Her old trick of using a stick to ward off attacks would not work against these Werewolves.

Katerina and Alaois dove to the left while Oreius and Kumbali charged into the small group of Werewolves who had broken through the defenses and had nearly reached the tent functioning as the makeshift healer's ward. Kumbali leapt forward with a roar as he brought down one Werewolf and Oreius swung his swords in a wide arc killing two other Werewolves instantly and driving another one back. The three remaining Werewolves snarled at the Centaur and Tiger then one rushed Kumbali while the other two attempted to work together to overwhelm Oreius.

Oreius drove one of his swords into the chest of the Werewolf as he tried to leap at his face, but the other Werewolf managed to dodge his sword as it sliced through the air and dragged his claws painfully across Oreius' left arm just above his vambrace. Oreius winced but quickly reversed his sword and plunged it deep into the Fell Beast's unprotected back. Ardon suddenly appeared on Oreius' right with his huge claymore at the ready as the last of the Werewolves who had tried to attack the tent were destroyed. The other Centaur nodded to him, "You're late."

Oreius smirked, "Only just." The two Centaurs turned as a larger group of Werewolves broke through the outer defenses and charged for the heart of the camp. As four archers quickly formed a protective semicircle in front of the healer's tent, Oreius and Ardon raised their swords and roared out a challenge as they charged into the Werewolves.

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"Hurry! They have broken through again."

Katerina Alambiel gave the Satyr an annoyed look, "You know badgering me will not make me find my weapons any faster, Alaois. And, a tháinig muid díreach i anseo, tá mar sin roinnt bhfoighne." _(we just came in here, so have some patience.)_

She ignored the glare the Satyr directed at her as she went back to digging through her packs. She found Chrysaor almost immediately and buckled the sword around her waist instead of hanging it down her back as she normally did, then she continued searching for her knives, which she remembered leaving near the head of her hammock. She held back a frustrated sigh as Alaois gave another impatient snort and peered out of her tent. _Of course, my close range weapons would disappear from where I last saw them. Why not? After all Murphy loves me...I hate Murphy. _

"Are you not ready yet?"

Katerina tossed her cloak to land on the hammock and glared at Alaois. "D'iarr duine éigin a bhí i anseo! My knives have been moved to...somewhere. Cén fáth Murphy cén fáth? Leathcheann amaideach, ní mór duit a chur faoi deara dom dtrioblóid anois?" _(Someone has been in here! Why, Murphy, why? Silly idiot, must you cause me trouble now?) _

She turned away from the Satyr and tried to think of some place in the tent she hadn't searched yet. Out of desperation, she searched along the far side of the tent near where she had slipped out earlier that evening. She frowned when she finally found her knives awkwardly stuffed between the tent wall and one of her saddlebags. She shook her head and buckled the knives and their harness under her tunic. She didn't have time to figure out who had been in the tent moving her weapons around. She looked over at Alaois and nodded, "Let's go."

Alaois raised his sword and nodded to her, "May the Lion grant you protection, Katerina Alambiel. With your history, you will need all He can give you. Hurry."

Katerina ignored the slight taunt in favor of accepting the offered blessing with a simple nod as she ducked around the Satyr. Outside the tent was growing chaotic as more Werewolves poured through holes in the Narnians' ragged defenses and steadily separated the defenders into smaller pockets while pushing into the middle of the camp. There were at least three to four Werewolves for every Narnian, and that was including the injured. She was almost immediately parted from Alaois as Pyrrhos and two Werewolves crashed into him from the left, just missing her before they all four disappeared into the massive mêlée forming in the camp's center. For a brief moment, she saw Ardon and Oreius working as a team to clear a wide swath into the thick of the fighting. Katerina breathed a prayer that they would all survive this battle as she dodged around Narnians and Fell Beasts alike as she ran towards the High King's tent. She couldn't ignore the feeling that was where she was needed most this night.

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Jambres smirked as he viewed the chaos settling over the Narnian encampment. This was perfect! He had given specific instructions and tools to the Werewolf leaders and one of the Muhuru assassins. Now for the second Muhuru to fulfill his side of the bargain. A few more moves and the board would be his. Mother would be proud and Medea would fume. He grinned in satisfaction as he readied another spell to aid his servants in their task. It was only a matter of time and then Narnia would be forever changed on this night. The Ides of Lensigale.

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**A/N: Please Read and Review! Ahem, my apologies for the huge gap between updates I had issues with this chapter and writer's block. The good news is I am quite a bit into the next chapter already so it should up tomorrow or Saturday. Hope you enjoyed this chapter, short though it may be. Click the little review button below and let me know what y'all think. I've not gotten any requests yet, but if there is something you want to see featured in future stories let me know via your review or a PM. I shall endeavor to meet any requests to the best of my ability. **


	14. Chapter Thirteen: The Ides of Lenisgale

Disclaimer: I don't own Narnia or any characters you may recognize from the books or the movies, I wish I did but I don't... I also don't own the Narnian Calendar. It belongs to Elecktrum who was kind enough to let me borrow it for my story. Her own stories are awesome and you should go read them too.

Summary: In the aftermath of rescuing Queen Lucy from an evil sorcerer, Katerina Alambiel struggles to find her place while some of the Narnians closest to the Pevensies still question her motives. And, finding herself in the middle of an assassination plot against the High King himself doesn't exactly help her to fit in.

Warning: There will be mentions of torture, murder, and some scary moments. So, this is a mid to high T.

Chapter Thirteen: The Ides of Lenisgale

Katerina Alambiel pulled Chrysaor from its sheath and cut down one of the Werewolves trying to get past Sherket and the Serval she had patched up earlier. The other four Werewolves turned and snarled as one at her. The Leopard Captain wasted no time in taking advantage of the Werewolves' distraction. She roared as she pounced onto the back of one Werewolf and crushed its neck between her jaws. Katerina faced the other three with the Serval and she almost felt sorry for the Werewolf who tried to attack the Serval when she latched onto his face and clawed his eyes all the while biting and spitting and hissing in sheer fury. The two remaining Werewolves looked at each other and tried to keep her in between them as they slowly circled her. She shifted her stance into one of the new techniques Oreius had been drilling into her for the last few days or so. She really hoped she could pull what she was planning off; otherwise, she would never hear the end of it...if she lived through a failure.

She braced herself then she jumped up and over the head of the second Werewolf, putting him in between her and his friend. She whirled around and slashed down with Chrysaor as the Werewolf started to turn to face her. Chrysaor bit deep into his shoulder and cleaved easily through the bone and muscle until it reached his heart. Katerina knew in the back of her mind that particular image and sound would be haunting her for a while, but she pushed on. She had to take care of the other Werewolf before she could finish putting her plan into play.

She raised Chrysaor again as she carefully watched the slavering mess of a Werewolf try to figure out a new plan. But, this time she would not give him the chance. This time _she_ would play the aggressor. Katerina let out a yell and charged the Werewolf head on. The Werewolf stared at her in confusion then a greedy light appeared in his eyes as she ran towards him. He straightened from his half-crouch and opened his arms wide to catch her, but then Katerina ducked under one outstretched arm and twisted around to drive Chrysaor between the Werewolf's exposed ribs.

She freed Chrysaor and turned back to the two Cats who were watching her warily, "Captain Sherket, how is he? Does he still live?"

Sherket glanced over her shoulder at the tent then she looked up at Katerina, "He still clings to life, but his wound is very bad and he has not yet regained consciousness."

Katerina felt a sense of relief wash over her just knowing that the High King was still living. She didn't want to imagine that would happen if the protector of the four thrones was stolen before his time. She hesitated on whether to ask her next question or not, but then the decision was taken from her as another large group of Werewolves emerged from the gloom. They attacked Kumbali and a small knot of archers only a little ways from where the two Cats and Katerina stood in front of the High King's tent. Katerina looked down at Sherket and nodded, "Go help them, I'll keep him safe."

The Leopard Captain stared hard at her then she slowly nodded, "I entrust the care and protection of the High King to you, Katerina Alambiel. Do not fail this trust. Come, Chava."

Katerina backed into the shadow cast across the front of the tent as the two Cats sped into the fight with the Werewolves. She hoped her plan would work and it seemed she was about to find out as five Werewolves broke free of the mêlée turned their attention to the High King's tent. Fortunately for her, the Werewolves were reckless and assumed one Human would be easy to defeat. She raised Chrysaor and brought it down in a sweeping arc as the two Werewolves in the lead came within reach. The blade slashed through the air and then flesh. The first Werewolf fell dead at her feet, but she had only managed to leave a shallow gash across the second Werewolf's shoulder. The wound only served to irritate the Fell Beast as he dropped back out of reach with an angry snarl.

She needed to time this perfectly if she hoped to succeed without gaining any injuries herself. She took a deep breath and dropped into a half-crouch with Chrysaor raised above her head. The four Werewolves snarled and then started laughing harshly. The wounded Werewolf mocked her as he copied her crouched stance, "Is the little mistress going to leap away? Katerina Alambiel should run while she can before the Sorcerer gets her. Go on, little Alambiel, leap away. We'll eat the pretend king instead of Alambiel this time."

"Oh, I wouldn't do that, were I you. The king would probably give you indigestion and I'm the tough stringy type plus there's all this steel, which probably isn't very palatable. You filthy mongrels actually think I will run? Go ahead, try and make me."

The Werewolves growled then they threw their heads back and howled a battle cry. The wounded Werewolf lunged from his crouched position and Katerina jerked Chrysaor up to slide between his ribs just as his jaws snapped shut a hairsbreadth from her face. She pulled the sword free and whirled to the right to cut down one of the other Werewolves before jumping up and kicking another Werewolf in the chest. Chrysaor flashed through the air to stab the fallen Werewolf in the heart before Katerina quickly turned back to the last Werewolf and dealt him a fatal blow as he tried to leap over her into the tent.

She returned to holding Chrysaor at the ready before she stood up right. It looked like the Narnians were finally gaining the upper hand in the battle and had started pushing the Werewolves back. The sense of being watched struck her again and she scanned the area, but other than the five Fell Beasts lying dead at her feet, there were none in the immediate vicinity of the High King's tent. _Something's wrong. _A sudden horrible thought struck her and Katerina whirled around and ran into the tent's darkened interior. _Oh dear God, dear Aslan, please no. Please let me be wrong._

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"Oreius!" The warning came a moment too late as the Centaur turned in time to see a Werewolf leaping with outstretched claws for his unprotected left flank. Oreius braced himself for impact only to have the Werewolf give a strangled gasp and drop to the ground just before it reached him. An arrow was imbedded in the Fell Beast's back and Oreius nodded his thanks to Alithia as the Centauress lowered her bow.

He whirled back around to face the last group of Werewolves who started backing away as he raised his claymore and reared up with a battle cry before charging them. Ardon and a rather battered Pyrrhos and Alaois joined him just as he slammed into the Fell Beasts. The archers released the last of their arrows into the Werewolves at the rear of the group. The Werewolves began to panic and broke formation, biting and clawing at each other in an effort to escape the relentless attack by Oreius and his fellow soldiers. Several Werewolves escaped the press and raced off into the gloom away from the Narnians and their camp.

Oreius cut down several more Werewolves and noted with satisfaction that the remaining Werewolves were essentially routed. Then two Werewolves appeared on the northern outskirts of the camp and, throwing their heads back, they howled three times in unison before disappearing back into the unnatural darkness. All of the Werewolves still alive immediately turned and fled north.

Oreius and Ardon looked each other, but Oreius shook his head and the captain called the Narnians' attention to tending their own. A shout pulled his attention back to the camp's center. "General!"

Katerina Alambiel was running towards him with a look of despair. He quickly met her, "What is it?"

She looked down at her hands before looking up and answering in a soft voice, "It...General, the king...he didn't...he died of the wound during the battle. I couldn't help him. I tried, but I could not."

Oreius leveled her with a hard glare, and then he drove his claymore through her heart. Katerina Alambiel gasped while pain and shock chased each other through her eyes as she stared up at him before she crumpled to the ground.

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**A/N: Please Read and Review! *Dances like Tevye from Fiddler in the Roof* I posted on Saturday (barely)! Did anyone see the ending coming? *Stops dancing to run away and hide* Okay, don't panic I have a plan for what happens next and you'll like it...I hope. Anyway, click the little review button below and let me know what y'all think.**


	15. Chapter Fourteen: Hunter & Hunted

Disclaimer: I don't own Narnia or any characters you may recognize from the books or the movies, I wish I did but I don't... I also don't own the Narnian Calendar. It belongs to Elecktrum who was kind enough to let me borrow it for my story. Her own stories are awesome and you should go read them too.

Summary: In the aftermath of rescuing Queen Lucy from an evil sorcerer, Katerina Alambiel struggles to find her place while some of the Narnians closest to the Pevensies still question her motives. And, finding herself in the middle of an assassination plot against the High King himself doesn't exactly help her to fit in.

Warning: There will be mentions of torture, murder, and some scary moments. So, this is a mid to high T.

Chapter Fourteen: Hunter and Hunted

"What have you done?"

At Alithia's quiet question, Oreius looked at the Narnians gathered around him as he stepped away from the body. He cleaned his claymore then pointed it at the crumpled figure. "That was not Katerina Alambiel."

Alaois stared at him before he crouched down by the body. The Satyr didn't move after he finished his examination other than to look up at the Centaur. "This looks like her, but you say it's not. With respect, General Oreius, how do you know?"

"Because something particular was missing that should not have been and she made mistakes when she tried to copy Katerina Alambiel. Katerina Alambiel has a necklace that she never removes, do you see it?"

Sherket shook her head, "No, and she did tell us that she never takes it off. And, I don't see any marks from the chain being broken." The Leopard Captain paused then stepped closer and inhaled. Her fur suddenly stood on end as she growled, "This imposter has no smell. Katerina's scent is not one any of us who smelled it would easily forget since she is the only one who smells of Human and Centaur almost all the time."

Oreius glanced down at Sherket when she mentioned Katerina's scent, he hadn't thought about how often Katerina wore the cloak he had given her might affect the way the Talking Animals smelled her. It made sense though. He looked from Sherket to Ardon and Alithia as he continued his explanation. "Katerina Alambiel told us the assassins hissed their words, and this imposter was careful never to say anything that might result in a hiss. Katerina never calls me 'General' and that is all this one would say. Between her word choice and the missing necklace, I knew this was not Katerina Alambiel."

Alaois leapt to his feet as an odd smoke emerged from the body. "Look!" The black smoke twisted and writhered almost as if it was alive and spread until it completely covered the imposter. Then it started to curl in on itself, steadily retreating until the true appearance of the imposter was revealed. The blunt reptilian features of her face, the blue and green scales, and her clawed hands made it abundantly clear that this was not Katerina Alambiel nor was she a Daughter of Eve. Oreius nodded to himself as his guess was proved correct, "The Sorcerer gave the Muhuru an illusion spell, so she could assume Katerina Alambiel's appearance and get us to blame Katerina for what she did."

Sherket curled her lips in a snarl as the Muhuru's strong musk filled the air, "I preferred it when she had no scent." The Leopard Captain paused then looked from Oreius to Ardon, "But, why did she approach you, General?"

Oreius stamped the ground with his left forehoof, "To be a distraction." He ignored the rest of the questions as he ran to check the High King's tent. He tossed the flap aside and flicked his tail in irritation as he was greeted by a ransacked and empty interior. The hammock the High King had been resting in was torn down and the carefully stacked tack and saddlebags were now strewn across the tent. He entered the tent to lift a torn blanket from where it rested across the saddle and underneath them both was Chrysaor with its blade still bloody from battle. Oreius picked the ancient blade up reverently and cleaned it before looking for the sheath, which he found tossed against the far wall of the tent. The belt had been ripped into pieces, but the sheath was still intact. He slid Chrysaor back into its sheath, and then he fastened it next to his own sword on his right flank. He had no intention of allowing the sword to be parted from its chosen wielder for any longer than necessary to find her and the High King.

He emerged from the tent and met Ardon's solemn gaze before he scanned the Narnians still standing around waiting for him to give them orders. "The Werewolves took the High King and Katerina Alambiel. Sherket, Chava, see if you can track them. Ardon, gather the fastest runners. We need to try to catch them before they return to the Sorcerer."

Pyrrhos snorted as he stepped forward, "When do we leave?"

Oreius shook his head, "No, Captain Pyrrhos, you are not coming. Your injuries are severe enough that they will only slow us down. Stay here with Alithia and the rest of your company."

The older Satyr grumbled but allowed Kumbali and a Faun archer to escort him towards the makeshift healer's ward. Satyr Alaois stared up at him with a stubborn glint in his eyes, "I am coming with you, General. I owe Katerina Alambiel much and I was supposed to protect her when she was taken with the High King. You can't say that I am too injured to keep up."

Oreius nodded his acquiescence, "Very well."

Alithia and Ardon looked over at him from where they had been conversing softly, and then Ardon trotted up to take his place by Oreius' side. "Well, let's go fetch our High King and our Katerina Alambiel back before the Gentle Queen finds out we lost them."

Oreius smirked, but didn't answer as the group ran into the gloom after Sherket and Chava when they excitedly called out that they had found the trail. _Aslan, let us be the hunters. Give us swiftness. Give us light to see through the shadowed gloom of this night. Shield the High King and Katerina Alambiel. Let us catch them before it is too late._

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Jambres laughed as he used his spell to grant an unnatural speed to the Werewolves gifted to him by Medea and to the Muhuru. The sacrifice of the female Muhuru would be worth it, even if she did fail to kill the Centaur General as he had ordered. The General would die anyway tonight along with the boy who pretended to be High King, and then Katerina Alambiel would belong to him without the Centaur's influence. His hunters were being hunted, but it mattered naught. The Narnians would be unable to stop the death of High King, the protector of the four thrones, and then it would be easy to pick off the others who stood between him and his Narnia. He turned from watching the progress being made by his servants and walked up to the next level. He needed to prepare a proper greeting for such distinguished guests.

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**A/N: Please Read and Review! *Peeks out of hiding place* You see, I had a plan. Of course, Jambres still has much mayhem and pain planned, so something will probably happen...that's bad. We are almost to the climax of the story! If writer's block stays away, this story should be concluded this week. If you've a request or if there is something specific you would like to see in future stories, please include it in your review or in a PM. Click the little review button below and let me know what y'all think. **

**A/N2: Lady Firewing, I hope the explanation of how Oreius knew was satisfactory and maybe even revealed a little more about the dynamics of the relationship between him and Katerina. :)**

**A/N3: Dreaminsapphire, thank you for the review it just made my day to see your reaction was exactly what I hoped to evoke from my readers! And, oh yes I did...but it was worth it, right? ;)**

**Much thanks to both Lady Firewing and Dreaminsapphire for their constant and encouraging reviews! Y'all really inspire me to keep writing. ~ Lady A**


	16. Chapter Fifteen: Prisoner Again

Disclaimer: I don't own Narnia or any characters you may recognize from the books or the movies, I wish I did but I don't... I also don't own the Narnian Calendar. It belongs to Elecktrum who was kind enough to let me borrow it for my story. Her own stories are awesome and you should go read them too.

Summary: In the aftermath of rescuing Queen Lucy from an evil sorcerer, Katerina Alambiel struggles to find her place while some of the Narnians closest to the Pevensies still question her motives. And, finding herself in the middle of an assassination plot against the High King himself doesn't exactly help her to fit in.

Warning: There will be mentions of torture, murder, and some scary moments. So, this is a mid to high T.

Special Chapter Disclaimer: I don't own "Amazing Grace," it belongs to whoever owns the rights to the lyrics, which still isn't me.

Chapter Fifteen: Prisoner...Again

Jambres kept an expectant watch for nearly an hour until finally the ragged band of Werewolves, two prisoners, and one Muhuru arrived at the shadowed entrance to his northern lodge. He looked over the group with a callous and calculating eye before turning to the two leaders, "Well, Isak, Brutus, I increase your own natural speed and yet you still manage to return here late. Have you an explanation or shall I simply punish you?"

He could see both Werewolves struggle with the urge to snarl at him, but only Isak answered. "Our...apologies, Sorcerer Jambres but Lady Medea warned us against making the use of spells too obvious. The Narnians would be...wary of following if the sorcery was too...obvious, or so Lady Medea said."

Jambres straightened to his full height and nearly shook with rage, "Medea! Medea told you what to do! _I_ am the one you serve now, not Medea! My sister gifted your service to me, which means you do as _I_ tell you not her! I wanted you to get here well before the Narnians arrived!"

Brutus raised his head, "But, Sorcerer Jambres, the Narnians didn't realize we took the two Humans until well after we set out for your lodge. They may follow, but they will not catch up for a long time."

Jambres tightened his grip on his staff, trying to control his temper, but he only half-succeeded. He pointed his staff at the Werewolves hanging towards the back of the group and spat a single spell. An eerie black glow emanated from the staff until it launched at the Werewolves who fell gagging and convulsing as the spell essentially smothered them beneath the black glow. Jambres raised his staff and pointed it threateningly at Isak and Brutus. "You had best hope they are still far behind you or I shall inform Medea that every last one of her _generous_ gift of fifty Werewolves were unfortunately killed in the skirmish instead of just half, understand?"

The Werewolves gave a curt bow and Jambres waved for them to leave, "Put the prisoners in the room next to my study, then prepare to further delay the Narnians if they should arrive before I have finished." He walked up to his study and carefully started laying out some of the tools he would use to encourage Katerina Alambiel to return to his control. He was surprised to see the Muhuru looming just inside the room when he turned from the table. Jambres hesitated when he noticed that the Muhuru was between him and his staff. He was not stupid, contrary to what Medea, and even Mother at times, believed, after all he knew he needed his staff to best focus his powers into a perfect and deadly weapon without owning or coming into skin-to-skin contact with an intended victim...or enemy. Therefore, he nodded to the Muhuru in an almost congenial manner. "Something troubles you, Muhuru Herensuge, that you seek me out?"

Herensuge stared at him with his orange snake-like eyes while his brow ridges crinkled and his slotted nostrils flared. It had always amused Jambres that Herensuge looked more like a dragon than the female Muhuru, especially with his horns, fangs, and the reddish-brown coloring of his scaly hide. While both genders shared a draconian snout, Herensuge's was the most pronounced and, unlike the female, he had no hair on his head. Herensuge's snout opened and his fangs glinted faintly in the candlelight as he finally spoke, "Sssorcerer Jambresss, you gave Chusssi a different mission. Where isss ssshe? Where isss my Chusssi?"

Jambres eyed his staff with longing for a moment before he looked at the Muhuru, "Well, I ordered Muhuru Chusi to deliver a message to the Narnians concerning a ransom for their High King, but I'm afraid it didn't go as planned. It seems the Centaur General is very much a cruel creature who took the opportunity to rid himself of an enemy, and I regret to inform you that Chusi did not survive her encounter with General Oreius."

The Muhuru took a step back then, in the blink of an eye, he had pinned Jambres to the far wall as he held him up by the throat with one gloved hand. "You sssent my Chusssi to her death! I will kill the Centaur ssslowly and with pleasssure, but then I will take from you what you promisssed usss when you tricked Chusssi into your ssservice. Underssstand you my wordsss, Sssorcerer Jambresss? I will take it all!"

As quickly as the Muhuru had grabbed him, he released Jambres and returned to standing near the door of his study. Jambres rubbed his throat then pointed at the still-seething Muhuru, "Just remember, Herensuge, it was the Centaur General Oreius who killed your mate not I. Kill him and you will receive your deserved and promised reward. Now leave, I have work to do." The Muhuru snorted and snapped his fangs at Jambres, but he withdrew from the study. As soon as he left, Jambres retrieved his black staff and kept it within easy reach as he sat down at his desk. There was one thing he wished to record before he turned his attention to entertaining his distinguished guests. The rest could wait until he had confirming information and a report of success to add to his notes.

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"_The first rule of survival is to stay alert, but the second rule is just as vital: change the rules of the game when it is necessary to do so."_

_She stared up at her mentor as he towered over her, "Wait you are telling me to follow the rules until it's no longer convenient, and then I should just make it up as I go, right?"_

_Her mentor laughed, "You are complaining because I tell you to do something that you, in particular, do all the time? Yes, use what we are teaching you to the best advantage, which includes breaking the rules of survival. Something you happen to excel at, Katerina Alambiel. Of course, if you break the rules at the wrong time, you shall fail and probably get yourself killed for good measure, and then I shall be insulted and furious that you allowed such a feat to be accomplished. However, choose the right time and even the worst situation can result in a successful attack or defense. Now get up and we'll try this again." _

Katerina Alambiel opened her eyes a crack and peeked at a room with stone-lined walls and floor with wood pillars randomly spaced along the walls. She could feel her heartbeat speed up as the similarity this room shared with the Monster's old horrific lair slammed into her. She squeezed her eyes shut again and focused on forcing her frayed control to subdue the flashbacks and the underlying terror that now tried to choke her. She could not afford to indulge in such emotions, not here and not now, Peter needed her to have a clear head. Her eyes shot open as she remembered she had last seen the High King with one of those nathracha olc of assassins holding Rhindon point down over his chest right before the other one held a powder-covered rag over her mouth and nose while four Werewolves held her still.

She sat up and nearly slumped over again as the room swayed and a throbbing headache reminded her of its presence with a painful jab. She carefully braced her hands against the floor and scanned the room until she finally spotted Peter curled on his side. She was relieved to see he was still breathing, but fear ate at her when she noticed how sickly pale he looked, probably from blood loss. She needed to find away to keep their captors' attention all on her, otherwise she sincerely doubted he would live through any type of interrogation their enemy intended to use on them. He wasn't strong enough, but God willing she would be strong enough for both of them, God willing.

She frowned as she realized that neither Peter nor herself were bound in any way, it didn't make sense for her to be unbound. Peter may have been wounded, but she had only been drugged. She did not like how easy it seemed to be, after all once the drug or spell or whatever it was wore off, it would be simple to take Peter and sneak out of here. Too simple, too easy, something was wrong but it was difficult for her to pinpoint what that something was with her mind still a little hazy. She braced herself again and shoved hard enough for her to stagger up to her feet, but when she tried to take a step towards Peter, she fell to her knees.

The room swam, but not for as long as when she first sat up. She hoped that meant the effects of the drug or spell where dissipating. She gathered herself to try again when a cold laugh caused the hair on the back of her neck to stand up as it echoed through the room. "Well, Alambiel, it seems you are even more resilient and stubborn than I had first suspected. To be able to cast off most of the effects of that particular enchantment in less than four hours is very impressive and rare, even most Narnians have difficulty coping with it. Except for the Centaurs, adults at least, and some of the older, stronger Nymphs. Of course, I've not had the chance to test it on a Human before. I wonder if the boy will demonstrate similar resilience, hmm, perhaps not in his current state though."

Katerina slowly turned her head to look over her shoulder and saw the Sorcerer Jambres for the first time. He was tall, at least an inch or two over six and a half feet, and he was muscular but not bulky. His shoulder-length hair was jet-black but his goatee and mustache were steel-grey, while his skin was a pasty, almost dead, white. His voice gave her chills but his eyes terrified her. Jannes had been insane in addition to being evil and it had given her a much-needed advantage, Jambres, on the other hand, he was definitely evil but there was only cunning intelligence in his cold dark eyes. He scared her and she knew it would take more than simple distractions to defeat this sorcerer.

She forced herself to speak with a careless disregard for the sorcerer staring at her with an almost greedy expression. "You must be Jambres. There are ways to make a better impression on your guests, you know. Perhaps next time don't send the invitations via Muhuru assassins and filthy Werewolves, hmm?" She glanced over the room's bare walls then raised an eyebrow at the sorcerer, "Also, have you considered a new decorator? At least, Jannes made sure his furnishings just screamed 'I am an evil sorcerer' a bit clichéd but at least he did something with the space."

Jambres started laughing and it sent another wave of chills over Katerina, "Ah, you are very entertaining, Alambiel. Of course, I do apologize for the Werewolves' less-than-gentle conduct towards you. However, you didn't leave me with much of a choice after the Centaur kept interfering with the Muhuru's attempt to contact you on my behalf. So, you see I had to take somewhat drastic measures to gain a, shall we say, private meeting with you."

Katerina stared at him, "If all this was to meet with me, why bring him?"

"The boy? Well, I have another business matter to settle with him and the convenience of the two of you traveling together was too good to overlook. Don't worry, we have plenty of time to discuss things in detail before and after I finish dealing with him. Now, perhaps we should start with some easy quest-" Jambres cut himself off suddenly and crossed the room to stare down at her. "No," he breathed then he jerked her chin up forcing her to look him in the eyes. "No, this cannot be! You aren't the right age. You are…you are too young! That fool Jannes brought you here too soon. No! This is why we have been having such difficulty with-" He cut himself off again and stormed from the room.

Katerina stared after him in confusion, then she was distracted from the sorcerer's odd behavior by the sound of Peter coughing and groaning in pain. She staggered to her feet again and this time she made it to his side. She carefully checked him for bleeding or any new wounds. Finding nothing, she carefully rolled him over onto his back and lifted his head to rest in her lap. She placed one hand against the side of his face and the other on his unwounded shoulder. She closed her eyes and prayed that the Narnians had been able to find their trail and were even now on their way to this place. She sighed and then she started to hum quietly. Peter's fretful movements stilled to some extent as she hummed and then she softly began to sing,

"I am always there

When you're lost and lonely

Don't despair

Keep the faith if only

Because I am there for you

I am here with you

Don't be afraid, don't let go

Take a step of faith and know

I am here with you..."

She trailed off when she heard a frustrated yell and looked up as Jambres slammed the door open and stormed over to the center of the room. He was carrying a black staff with him now and flashes of black flames skittered over the length of it. "Stop that singing! I know why you chose that song, Alambiel."

She frowned at him, "Perhaps you would prefer this one instead?"

"Amazing Grace, oh how sweet the sound

That saved a wretch like me!

Through many dangers, toils, and snares

I have already come;

'Tis grace that brought me safe thus far,

And grace will lead me home."

Jambres snarled and the black flames crackled over the staff as he swung it around to point at her. "No! Stop singing or shall I just kill him now?"

Katerina raised her hands, "As you wish, I didn't realize my choice of singing material would be so problematic for you. No need to be overeager with the killing. I won't sing anymore, okay?"

Jambres fumed then he swung his staff upright again, "We shall have to see if you can continue to display such sarcastic wit when I have finished questioning you, Katerina Alambiel, hmm? Let us begin."

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Peter struggled to open his eyes, but it seemed a futile effort. It felt like his entire body had just been drained dry of energy and strength. The right side of his chest and his right shoulder were radiating pain to the extent that he couldn't bring himself to try to move. Instead, he decided to lay still and figure out what was going on as best he could without giving away that he was conscious. He remembered trying to follow the imposter after she stabbed him, the missing necklace had been conspicuous but he honestly wouldn't have thought anything of it if she had not reacted by stabbing him. Peter figured he must have passed out, but he had heard someone singing. Was it only a little bit ago? He didn't know.

He tried to keep his breathing steady as he twitched and another wave of pain washed over him. Then, the sound of a strangled cry caught his attention and he subtly turned his head towards the sound and peeked out from under his eyelids. Peter nearly forgot himself and gasped at the sight that greeted him. A tall man was standing in the center of the room while pointing his staff at a figure crumpled on the floor. The man snarled something, the staff glowed then flashed, and the figure started to rotate in a slow circle. The man snarled again and then the figure stopped rotating and instead bucked in pain and let out a strangled cry.

Peter's eyes suddenly focused on the familiar deep golden hair then she turned over confirming his horrified suspicion that it was Katerina Alambiel. Her hands were trembling and he guessed she was in a lot of pain already, but she pushed herself back up to her knees and faced the sorcerer. "Jambres, I have...nothing to tell you. Torturing me won't change that fact."

Jambres lowered his staff until it was right in front of her face, but when she didn't flinch away, he raised it again. "Hmm, I suppose you're right. However, I do have another source of information who will certainly prove to be more knowledgeable than you, my dear Alambiel. Pity, how after six months of perfect behavior and you still aren't trusted by the Narnians." The sorcerer suddenly paused and then a gleeful expression crossed his face, "Ah, but my dear, it seems our other guest has finally awakened and now he will be able to join in on our little game."

Katerina looked at Peter then she turned back to Jambres. "He will not cooperate and he is not strong enough to withstand your _games_. Leave him out of this, you leithscéal folamh-i gceannas ar Asarlaí leathcheann!" _(empty-headed excuse of an idiot Sorcerer!)_

Jambres glared down at her and then he backhanded her across the mouth. "You angering me will not save him, Alambiel. Now, we've much to discuss. Shall we begin?" Peter sent up a silent prayer for protection as the sorcerer began a sadistic game of torturing first Katerina Alambiel then himself in an attempt to break one or both of them. _Aslan, I don't know where Oreius and the others are, but please let them find us before it is too late. Please, Aslan, help us._

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**A/N: Please Read and Review! A good, long chapter to make up for the short ones. Poor Katerina, Poor Peter, Jambres has got them and he's not playing nice at all! Review if you want them to get a break! ;) Click the little review button below and let me know what y'all think.**

**A/N2: The first set of lyrics Kat sings are my own invention.**


	17. Chapter Sixteen: Closing In

Disclaimer: I don't own Narnia or any characters you may recognize from the books or the movies, I wish I did but I don't... I also don't own the Narnian Calendar. It belongs to Elecktrum who was kind enough to let me borrow it for my story. Her own stories are awesome and you should go read them too.

Summary: In the aftermath of rescuing Queen Lucy from an evil sorcerer, Katerina Alambiel struggles to find her place while some of the Narnians closest to the Pevensies still question her motives. And, finding herself in the middle of an assassination plot against the High King himself doesn't exactly help her to fit in.

Warning: There will be mentions of torture, murder, and some scary moments. So, this is a mid to high T.

Chapter Sixteen: Closing In

Oreius slid to a halt just within the shadowy eve of the forest and looked up at the three-story stone lodge sitting in the middle of a large clearing. He looked down at Sherket and Chava, "How old is the trail?"

Sherket sighed, "Almost an hour."

Oreius flicked his tail, "So, the High King and Katerina Alambiel have been in the sorcerer's presence for nearly an hour. We need to find a way inside quickly."

Alaois frowned as he looked from the lodge to their own small group. "General, there were at least thirty Werewolves who led us here and we can't forget the Muhuru. How can we get inside and defeat the enemy when there are only twelve of us?"

Oreius crossed his arms and quickly ran through as many strategies as he could think of until he finally hit on one he liked. He scanned the lodge again, and then nodded to himself. "There is a way, it is a gamble but we have no other choice. Come, the enemy won't expect us to use this tactic and we've only a little time in which to accomplish it all."

He led the group back into the shelter of the forest to explain the details of his plan away from prying eyes and listening ears. It would still take a little bit of time to organize, but he prayed the delay would not require Peter or Katerina Alambiel to pay too high of a cost. _Aslan, help them to hang on for just a little while longer. We are almost there, let them know they are not alone or abandoned._

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"Isak, the Narnians are crossing the glade. Do we tell Jambres?"

Isak snarled over at Brutus, "No, the Mistress was clear on our instructions if her brother should fail to adhere to the plan they had agreed upon. Besides, do you want to interrupt Jambres when he is interrogating prisoners?"

Brutus' scarred muzzle crinkled briefly before he shrugged, it didn't matter to him if Jambres got caught in his own trap, after all he and Isak both knew which of the siblings had the most power. "Then, we are to open the doors and let what happens happen?"

Isak nodded, "We will watch and when the ending occurs, we will return to Mistress as she instructed. Anyway, I want to see whether the Muhuru will be able to kill the Centaur General. Get to your station, the Narnians will be here in a matter of seconds. Our brothers will have to fend for themselves this time." Brutus growled softly at the thought of allowing more of their numbers to be sacrificed, but he climbed to his station on the third floor of the lodge. Isak scaled his way up to the highest point of the rafters and settled into the shadowy recesses as he waited for the show to begin. The Mistress had been correct and now the Sorcerer Jambres would reap the consequences of going behind her back...one way or another.

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Oreius signaled Sherket to bring her group around to the left of the main doors to the lodge. The Leopard took the lead as her group reached their positions, she paused in front of the doors and nodded to one of the Faun Archers. Alaois looked at Oreius from his position just to the right of the doors, then he nodded to the Faun and they threw the doors open. Swift and silent, Oreius and Sherket led the charge into the lodge. A group of five Werewolves was just inside the large hall, but they didn't have time to cry out a warning before the Narnians cut them down.

The Narnians spread out and began hunting for both the enemy and their missing people. The Serval Chava gave an angry hiss from where she stood on the wide staircase leading up to the next level. "General, they took the High King and Katerina Alambiel up these stairs."

Oreius swapped his two swords for his claymore and nodded, "Lead the way, Chava. Brytt, Ardon, Alaois, let's search the upper levels. Sherket can handle the lower level."

When they reached the second level, Ardon and Alaois split from the group to search the rooms lining the western side while Oreius continued with Chava and Brytt the Bear down the eastern half. As they neared another flight of stairs, a larger group of Werewolves charged them but the Werewolves were easily dealt with between Oreius' claymore and Brytt's sheer strength. Chava slipped along the walls, occasionally stopping to sniff the air as she tried to pinpoint where Peter and Katerina were being held. Brytt rose up on his back legs and noisily sniffed in an effort to help Chava, but he gave a lazy shrug and dropped back down on all fours before speaking in a slow, sleepy voice. "The Werewolves' scent has covered everything, General. I don't even smell the trail Chava followed up here anymore."

Oreius said nothing in return; instead, he scanned the shadowed corners of the hall. He had felt eyes on him during the fight, and unless the Muhuru had left, the assassin was in this lodge somewhere. A skittering sound came from the rafters above them and Oreius raised his claymore while Brytt reared up again with a low growl. The shadows cloaking the rafters kept both Oreius and Brytt from identifying the source of the sound, and they remained tense until Chava sneezed, startling them out of their watchful search.

Brytt dropped heavily onto all four paws and sighed, Oreius hesitated a little longer but then he slowly lowered his claymore. They turned to face Chava just as a shadow dropped down next to the Serval and grabbed her before she could react. Chava screamed in pain as the Muhuru snapped her right foreleg then threw her over Brytt's head to slam against the wall. The Muhuru dropped the hood of his cloak and hissed at them, "Sssee your death, Narniansss."

Oreius raised his claymore, but before he could do more than take a step forward, the Muhuru had moved from standing in front of them to launching himself at Brytt. The Centaur called out a warning, but it was too late. In less than a minute, the Muhuru assassin landed on top of the Bear and drove his scythe-shaped dagger deep into Brytt's neck. The large Bear jerked his head up, then the light in his eyes faded as he collapsed to the floor.

The Muhuru threw his cloak to the side and rose up to his full height as he faced the Centaur. "The Bear died quickly, but your death will be mossst painful and long in coming." A strangled yell came from above them and the Muhuru gave a hissing laugh, "To die right before you accomplisssh your tasssk, how dissshonorable, Centaur." The Muhuru dropped into a crouch and Oreius prepared himself to fight, another scream echoed down to them and he forced himself to ignore the fear those screams evoked in his heart. Instead, he used each scream to remind himself why he was going to defeat the Muhuru, Aslan willing.

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Peter gasped for air as Jambres lifted the spell and he could breathe again. The sensation of not being able to breathe because a translucent black shroud was covering his face and shoulders had been terrifying. Katerina had been forced to take the blunt of the sorcerer's spells, and he couldn't help admiring the fact that she was still functioning because he doubted he would have been able to, especially with his injuries. He thanked Aslan that Jambres didn't immediately start another round of questioning, instead the sorcerer paced angrily between the two of them.

He stopped and glared at Peter, then he whirled around to jab his staff against Katerina's torso and snapped a phrase. Katerina convulsed and squeezed her eyes shut as an electrifying jolt coursed through her body, but she still didn't scream. She finally gasped from the pain and Peter was appalled to see a black glow coming from her mouth. He hated that he couldn't protect her like he usually did his sisters, she may have been older than them but he still wanted to do something to help her. He tried to move but the pain in his chest and shoulder stopped him again. So, he opted to distract the sorcerer instead and forced a shout past his raw throat. "Stop it, Jambres! She didn't do anything to you. Leave her alone! You didn't even try to ask her a question so you would have an excuse to be cruel to her. Why are you doing this?"

Praise Aslan, his haphazard plan actually worked as Jambres moved his staff until it no longer touched her. The sorcerer looked between them while he ran his fingers over his goatee in thought. "I wonder, King Peter, why do you care what happens to Alambiel? Obviously, you don't trust her very much since she claims no knowledge of simple facts like the current positions of your army's patrols, or even how to get from the front gates of Cair Paravel to the royal quarters. Although, the last could just be a lie after all, this isn't exactly the first time she has been in the Cair. And, why does Alambiel try so hard to protect the very Narnians who still suspect her of being less than genuine and would gladly condemn her to exile or even death?"

Peter blinked in surprise at Jambres' words. He thought Katerina knew things that she couldn't possibly know, but why? He saw Jambres move his staff towards her threateningly and hurried to answer, "I care because Katerina is my friend. And, she doesn't know how to get from the gates to the royal quarters because she has never been in the royal quarters." Peter would have smiled if the situation were different, for Katerina had cheerfully informed him only two weeks ago that she saw no reason to go to the royal quarters and therefore, no reason to figure out how to get there. He suspected she was more than content with just knowing how to get from her room to the Library, which Oreius had introduced her to about three months after she had chosen to stay. He wasn't sure about the details surrounding that introduction other than it was somehow related to the shield incident, but whenever he saw Katerina curled up under a tree or in a chair reading a new book, he couldn't help thinking that was when she looked the most relaxed.

Jambres pulled Peter's attention back to the present when he suddenly loomed over him and leaned down to whisper in a conspiratorial tone, "Alambiel knows more about the Cair than you realize, boy. If she is your friend, then you know everything there is to know about her past, hmm?"

Peter managed to glare at the sorcerer, "Katerina has trusted me and others with the details of her past. What concern of it is yours about her life in another world?"

Peter felt a chill sweep through him when Jambres started laughing so hard that he was using his staff for support. He had a bad feeling about the source of the sorcerer's mirth and he glanced at Katerina out of the corner of his eye. She was staring at him with an almost apologetic look, he wondered if she felt it was somehow her fault that they were in this situation. Jambres was still laughing when Katerina rolled over slightly and the back of her tunic lifted just enough that Peter could see the handles of her twin knives peeking out from where they were safely nestled in their harness. She had a plan of some sort, he hoped, and now he just needed to keep Jambres' attention long enough for her to pull it off...he really hoped it was at least as good as the plan she had used for Jannes.

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**A/N: Please Read and Review! Hmm, a little action, a little info, and a little something extra. ;) Several important things happen in the next chapter, including Oreius' fight with the Muhuru, Katerina's plan, and Jambres spills some very important information...not mention something else that could possibly blow your minds. Review if you want this chapter of revelations to get posted early tomorrow instead of Wednesday! Click the little review button below and let me know what y'all think.**


	18. Chapter Seventeen: Revelations

Disclaimer: I don't own Narnia or any characters you may recognize from the books or the movies, I wish I did but I don't... I also don't own the Narnian Calendar. It belongs to Elecktrum who was kind enough to let me borrow it for my story. Her own stories are awesome and you should go read them too.

Summary: In the aftermath of rescuing Queen Lucy from an evil sorcerer, Katerina Alambiel struggles to find her place while some of the Narnians closest to the Pevensies still question her motives. And, finding herself in the middle of an assassination plot against the High King himself doesn't exactly help her to fit in.

Warning: There will be mentions of torture, murder, and some scary moments. So, this is a mid to high T.

Chapter Seventeen: Revelations

Peter forced his attention back to Jambres just as the sorcerer finally regained control and straightened though he still leaned on his staff. "You truly don't know? Alambiel, shame on you, I thought you had told the royals all about your past and...your bloodline. However, it seems I shall have the pleasure of revealing something that will probably be most shocking to you, boy. I care about Alambiel's past because I had a hand in several important parts of it. And, if you think that Alambiel lived her entire life in the other world, that world of the Sons of Adam and Daughters of Eve, you're wrong."

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Oreius backed up towards the stairs in a bid to gain a little more room to maneuver while keeping a cautious eye on the Muhuru. The assassin was playing with him and they both knew it. He had to find a way to gain an advantage and quickly. The Muhuru's fangs flashed as he hissed at the Centaur then launched another attack. He leaped up and struck out with his scythe-like dagger towards the Centaur's torso. Oreius blocked the blow easily but then the Muhuru kicked him where a Werewolf had clawed his arm, causing him to loosen his grip on his claymore.

The Muhuru slammed his fist against Oreius' unprotected head, then swung his dagger down only to be blocked by the claymore still held tightly in the Centaur's right hand. Oreius took the opportunity to slam his own fist into the Muhuru's side and toss him a good four feet down the hall. Blood was running down his left arm from where the Muhuru had re-opened his wound, and he knew it wouldn't take long before he lost most of the strength in that arm and hand. The Muhuru ran at him as he swapped his claymore for his one-handed sword, but this time he leaped up along the walls and landed on Oreius' back.

Oreius reared up and hastily blocked two rapid strikes from the assassin's dagger. He reached up and around and managed to immobilize the Muhuru's arm. Before he could do more than tighten his grip, however, Oreius had to jerk his head to the side as the Muhuru's jaws snapped close where his neck had been not even a moment ago. Oreius reared again in an effort to dislodge the Muhuru assassin from his back. The Muhuru yanked his arm out of Oreius' grip with effort then he angled his dagger down and stabbed while at the same time he slashed at Oreius' face with the claws of his free hand.

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Peter stared in shock at Jambres before he found his voice, "What are you talking about? Where else would Katerina have lived?"

Jambres laughed again and he walked closer to where Peter lay on the floor, "Where else, indeed? She has attracted the attention of Jannes and myself because she is one of ours, a Narnian who happened to escape our grasp for a time while she dwelt in the other world. Why do you think Jannes was instructed to bring her back? Because she has information that I need and she is far more important than you yet realize, foolish boy."

Peter shook his head before he spotted movement out of the corner of his eye. He glared up at the sorcerer. "I don't believe you. You are nothing but a liar trying to get me to doubt my friend as part of your twisted game."

Jambres looked insulted and Peter took the opportunity to jerk his knees up and kick out at the sorcerer's staff. Another wave of agony radiated from his chest and shoulder, but it was worth it as Peter observed the staff fall from Jambres' grasp and roll to a stop only a hand's breadth away from Katerina. Katerina pulled her knives free and plunged them into the core of the staff. Peter could only watch as Jambres swept forward with a yell and tried to stop Katerina, but it was too late. The staff appeared to be enveloped in black flames, and then it exploded, flinging both Jambres and Katerina across the room.

Peter shook his head in an effort to clear his vision. When the room came back into focus, he was astonished to see the sorcerer's staff now lay in dozens of pieces. His hand brushed against something hot and he jerked away with a soft hiss. Looking down the length of his arm, Peter was greeted by the sight of what remained of one of Katerina's knives, the handle was blackened and the blade had broken off two fingers' length from the base of the hilt and what remained was melted. His breathing hitched from more than the pain of his wounds as Peter scanned the room for Katerina. _Oh, Kat, what did you do? And, what kind of plan was that anyway?_

If they survived this, he and Oreius would have to take turns yelling at Katerina for using such a terrible, stupid, half-baked plan. He finally made out Katerina's still form as she lay near one of the wood pillars lining the opposite wall. He could just barely tell that she was breathing, Peter sighed in relief and opened his mouth to call to her when a loud shout cut him off. He winced both in pain and at the realization that Jambres had also survived.

Jambres staggered forward as he yelled at Katerina who had regained consciousness and was struggling to pull herself upright. "No! You stupid girl! All you had to do was tell me where the escape tunnel and portal were located and where your father hid the documents and I would have let your _friend_ die easily. But, now I shall truly torture him while you are forced to watch and then I will keep your mind intact enough that you will always remember how the Ides of Lenisgale ended with the blood of the High King, the protector of the four thrones, on your hands. You shall do my biding, Alambiel, after all your mother may have been one of the most powerful Nymphs in Narnia but your father's Human blood makes you malleable to my purposes. It matters not that you are not the right age. I can still make use of you."

Peter could hardly believe his ears, either Jambres had completely snapped or he had been truthful concerning his knowledge of Katerina's past. He didn't get to ponder the point very long though, for Jambres loomed over him and slammed his fist directly onto Peter's wound. Peter couldn't stop himself from crying out as Jambres spoke with a quiet menace in his voice. "You may have destroyed my staff, Alambiel, but that will not save either one of you. I can still use my magic and you shall see how much harm I am still able to render even without using my staff as a focus."

He snapped a spell and Peter uttered a strangled yell as his shoulder and chest were hit with the sensation of being on fire and ripped apart all at the same time. He gasped and then his choked cries turned into full-blown screams of agony as Jambres struck him with spell after spell and each one was progressively worse than the last. His vision was growing dark when he heard Katerina shouting, "No! Leave him alone! Take me instead. I beg you, Jambres, leave him be and take my offer. Please."

Jambres stopped and Peter could barely see Katerina stagger to her feet behind the sorcerer. He was powerless to help her as Jambres whirled to face her. "You have some significant scars, Alambiel. Are you familiar with the occurrence of phantom pain? Yes, I can see it in your eyes that you are. Of course, I have found that phantom pains induced by one of my enchantments are even more painful than the original wound…or so I gathered from my experiments."

Peter tried to move but Jambres kicked him in the shoulder and he was immobilized from the pain. Katerina shouted in fury and she ran towards them. Jambres snapped a new phrase and Peter saw an expression of absolute agony cross Katerina's face. _Oh, no._ Jambres laughed and snapped the phrase again, which resulted in Katerina falling to the ground and writhing from the pain. Jambres paused in his torture leaving Katerina gasping for breath and Peter's heart tore at the sight of tears streaming down her face. The sorcerer studied her with a callous indifference. "You have a strong will, Alambiel. Your mother was already begging me for mercy when she had endured half as much as you already have. Such a pity that the daughter may prove even less useful to me than the mother. So, will you tell me what I want to know or shall we continue this little game?"

Peter watched in pained silence as Katerina raised her head and glared defiantly at Jambres, "I...will never give you...anything...you want. Never."

Jambres shrugged, "A pity, on the other hand, now we can see what it will take to make you scream. Scream for me, Alambiel. Beg me for mercy." Jambres snapped that one phrase again and Katerina gasped from the pain, but she still didn't scream. Peter shook with impotent rage as his wounded body refused to cooperate with his desire to defend his friend. Jambres snapped the phrase again and again until finally Katerina let out a broken sob from the pain, which was quickly followed by a piercing scream. Peter groaned as Jambres occasionally slammed him on his wound for good measure even as he continued to torture Katerina until her ragged screams of pain filled the room as she convulsed under the spell's effect. _Aslan, please help us. Send Oreius and the others to us before it is too late. Aslan, help us. Please._

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Oreius twisted his upper body away from the dagger and slammed his right arm against the Muhuru's wrist, knocking the dagger away. The Muhuru managed to rake his claws down the left side of Oreius' jaw and his neck, though he was thrown off balance enough that he missed hitting the carotid artery. Oreius ignored the sting of his injuries and reached over his shoulder to clamp down on the Muhuru's arms. He heaved the assassin up and over his head and threw him hard to the floor.

Oreius shifted his hold on his sword and started towards the assassin who had just propped himself up when a new set of screams echoed down the stairs. He flicked his tail but he didn't dare take his eyes off the Muhuru even as the screams increased in pitch and it chilled his blood to hear them, especially once he managed to make out the individual words contained in the screams. "Cabhair! Please, help! Cabhair, please! Help!"

The Muhuru hissed a laugh, "Ssso, Centaur, the sssorcerer will do to you what he did to me. He took my Chusssi, and now he will take your king and your Alambiel. And, there isss nothing you can do to ssstop him."

The Muhuru Herensuge hurled himself at Oreius with his dagger angled to drive up through the Centaur's ribs. Oreius braced himself and slammed his shoulder into the Muhuru's middle. The Muhuru flew over the Centaur to land with a heavy thud against the stairwell. The assassin's orange gaze dropped in disbelief to where Oreius' sword was embedded in his chest, then he sighed and his head drooped to the side as the Muhuru's life fled him.

"Oreius!" The Centaur turned at the call and saw Ardon and Alaois approaching him. Alaois hurried to check on Chava, but he shook his head almost as soon as he reached the Serval. Oreius pulled his sword free of the Muhuru's body as Ardon walked up to him, "We were caught in one of those rooms by eight Werewolves, otherwise we would have been here sooner."

Oreius sighed, "Well, you're here now. Come, the sorcerer has the High King and Katerina Alambiel on the next level."

Ardon gave him a concerned look and Oreius realized how he must look to the two soldiers with blood covering his left arm and most of the left side of his face and neck. Alaois frowned as they started up the stairs, "How will we find them if there are even half as many rooms up there as on this level?" Another round of screams started and Oreius let them answer the question as he galloped up the stairs. He prayed they would get there before either or both Peter and Katerina Alambiel lost their lives.

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**A/N: Please Read and Review! Okay, there about two chapters left in this story. Who will die and who will live? Review if you want to find out sooner instead of later! For those of you who have been following the clues about Katerina's past, tell me what you think about Jambres' claims. Are they the real deal or is he just playing mind games with her? Click the little review button below and let me know what y'all think.**


	19. Chapter Eighteen: Heart of the Matter

Disclaimer: I don't own Narnia or any characters you may recognize from the books or the movies, I wish I did but I don't... I also don't own the Narnian Calendar. It belongs to Elecktrum who was kind enough to let me borrow it for my story. Her own stories are awesome and you should go read them too.

Summary: In the aftermath of rescuing Queen Lucy from an evil sorcerer, Katerina Alambiel struggles to find her place while some of the Narnians closest to the Pevensies still question her motives. And, finding herself in the middle of an assassination plot against the High King himself doesn't exactly help her to fit in.

Warning: There will be mentions of torture, murder, and some scary moments. So, this is a mid to high T.

Chapter Eighteen: Heart of the Matter

Katerina Alambiel gasped for breath when Jambres finally stopped using that accursed spell on her. She wished she could have been stronger, that she had been able to withstand the urge to scream, but after over an hour of almost continuous torture, she hadn't been able to hold out any longer. Jambres observed her in a silence that was almost more chilling than his laughter or even his fury. The sorcerer cocked his head slightly and ran his hand over his goatee as he broke his silence. "I had doubted the claim that you had no memory of this world, Alambiel, but now I wonder if your grandfathers set aside their differences and worked together to somehow erase or hide your memories in an attempt to foil me. Your bloodline is so unique and so very powerful that few in Narnia are your equal. You could accomplish much if only you joined me. You want to remember your past, don't you, Alambiel? I can give you back your memories if you join me. Think about it, you could have it all: a past, a future, power beyond your imagination, and the respect and fear of the entire world."

Katerina shuddered from more than the residual pain of the spells she had endured. Jambres offered her the one thing she wanted with all her heart. It would be so easy, she knew all she had to do was nod and all the answers would be laid before her. She glanced from Jambres to Peter whose eyes were glazed with the pain of his own wounds. She was sorely tempted to accept just so she could hear the names of her parents, but at what cost for that information? Jambres was offering something, but it wasn't for free and she would never forgive herself if the cost was what she suspected. She looked back at Jambres who stood smug in his belief that she would sign away her very soul in order to have a single glimpse of her past. "No."

Jambres stared down at her and she could almost feel the rage rolling off him, "Very well, Alambiel. Now bear witness to the price of your refusal."

He uttered a spell that sent a wave of pain throughout her body until she could barely lift her head off the floor. Then, he stalked over to Peter and started a much longer incantation as he reached to grab hold of Peter's pale face. Katerina gasped in horror as she realized Jambres was going to kill Peter in some terrible fashion. She gritted her teeth and prayed for the strength she needed as she pushed past the pain and lunged across the room.

Jambres was reaching the end of his spell and his fingers were about to touch Peter when she slammed into the High King. The force of the blow caused Peter to cry out in pain, but it also pushed him out of the way so when Jambres reached out as he finished the spell, he grabbed hold of Katerina's face instead of the king. She looked up with a hint of satisfaction as she watched the look of shock and fury cross Jambres' face when he realized what she had chosen to do. Jambres tried to release her but she grabbed his wrists and held him in place. Then, as Jambres' eyes filled with hatred, wave after wave of sheer agony filled her entire body and she gasped before screaming at the top of her lungs. Her sight went black and her hearing faded until she couldn't even hear herself screaming. It was over.

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Oreius picked up his pace as the screams increased in frequency. They were close, now they just needed to find the right door. There was a moment where he could hear nothing but silence and Oreius feared it was because the sorcerer had killed one or both of his prisoners. A tall door with gruesome scenes carved into the panels was cracked open and he entered cautiously with his sword at the ready. Judging by the furnishings, he had just found the sorcerer's study. He sheathed his sword as he walked further into the room to look around. Several sheets of paper covered in spidery writing obscured the top of the desk, he spotted the name 'Alambiel' on the topmost paper and scooped them all up. He stuffed them into the empty side pocket of the bag of medicine and bandages Alithia had given him.

Oreius looked around the room again, but he saw no other way out of the study than the door he had come through. He hoped Ardon and Alaois were having more success with their searches. He was in the doorway when another scream rent the air. And, it came from behind him. He whirled back around and shouted over his shoulder, "Ardon! Alaois! To me! I've found them!"

Oreius scanned the walls as the screams continued to echo from somewhere behind them. He had found them, now he just needed to get to them. The wall to the left of the desk was covered in bookshelves while the wall behind the desk had a huge window, but the wall to the right of the desk bore only a large map of Narnia and her immediate neighbors, which was carved right into the stones. Oreius stepped closer and he could hear the screams so clearly that he knew the hidden chamber was behind the wall. He looked at the map and spotted one stone whose lines stood out cleanly compared to the surrounding stones. Ardon and Alaois came up behind him as he pressed on the stone and it slowly receded until it clicked.

Ardon grabbed the edge of the wall and pulled until it slowly swung open revealing a short hall ending in a simple wood door. Though he would have preferred using his claymore, he had lost enough blood from the wounds to his arm that he couldn't trust himself not to drop the heavy claymore so Oreius pulled his one-handed sword free instead. The screams were nearly deafening due to the echo and Oreius allowed his anger to rise as he charged through the door.

His horror and rage only increased when he saw Peter looking deathly pale as he lay against the far wall and there only feet away from him was the sorcerer holding onto Katerina Alambiel chanting a harsh spell. He let out a battle cry and Jambres jerked in surprise. The sorcerer released Katerina and she fell unmoving to the floor. Oreius leaped over her as Jambres scrambled backwards in a desperate attempt to escape the furious Centaur. Jambres pulled a long dagger from within his robes and slashed wildly at Oreius. Oreius easily blocked the attack and used his size to force Jambres further away from Peter and Katerina. The sorcerer had a feral look in his eyes but he chose to taunt the Centaur. "You're too late to save her, General Oreius. And, it won't be long before the boy joins her in death. Narnia will-"

Jambres choked as Oreius drove his sword into his chest, then the Centaur made sure he stayed dead by beheading the Sorcerer Jambres with a backswing as he tumbled to the floor. Oreius turned his back on the body and focused instead on the health of Peter and Katerina. Ardon was already using his supply of bandages to staunch the blood flowing from the High King's shoulder. Oreius handed him another roll from his bag and Ardon nodded to him, "If I can stop the bleeding, I think he'll be fine until we get back to camp."

"Good." Oreius was still concerned by how pale Peter was, but being married to Alithia meant Ardon had more than the passing knowledge of field medicine that Oreius himself possessed, so he didn't press the other Centaur. He left Ardon to finish bandaging Peter's shoulder and crossed to where Alaois was kneeling beside Katerina Alambiel. The Satyr carefully turned her over and Oreius was shocked by her appearance. But, he was most concerned by the fact that her nose and mouth were bleeding. He forced himself to maintain his composure as he spoke, "Satyr Alaois, you need to carry Katerina Alambiel back to the camp and Ardon will carry the High King. I would do it, but it wouldn't be safe if I tried to do so with my arm wounded like it is."

Sherket appeared in the doorway and looked over the scene with obvious concern. She glanced from Katerina's still form to where Ardon had just finished bandaging Peter then she looked up at Oreius. "Are they going to be all right?"

Oreius sighed as he walked over to the Leopard Captain, "I believe the High King will recover, but Katerina Alambiel... I don't know. I hope so, I pray so, but I just don't know." As he watched High King Peter and Katerina Alambiel being carried out of the room, Oreius prayed that both of them would live to see another day and continue to be a personal challenge for him to watch over. He didn't want to imagine returning to Cair Paravel without either one of them. _Please, Aslan, spare them. We need them here._

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**A/N: Please Read and Review! Okay, there is only one chapter left in this story and it should be posted tomorrow or Thursday. Review if you want the conclusion to be posted tomorrow! Will Katerina live? Will she ever find out who she really is? Click the little review button below and tell what y'all think.**


	20. Chapter Nineteen: Resolutions

Disclaimer: I don't own Narnia or any characters you may recognize from the books or the movies, I wish I did but I don't... I also don't own the Narnian Calendar. It belongs to Elecktrum who was kind enough to let me borrow it for my story. Her own stories are awesome and you should go read them too.

Summary: In the aftermath of rescuing Queen Lucy from an evil sorcerer, Katerina Alambiel struggles to find her place while some of the Narnians closest to the Pevensies still question her motives. And, finding herself in the middle of an assassination plot against the High King himself doesn't exactly help her to fit in.

Warning: There will be mentions of torture, murder, and some scary moments. So, this is a mid to high T.

Chapter Nineteen: Resolutions

_She was walking along the beach, enjoying the feel of the cool surf as it lapped against her bare feet when she felt a Presence surround her before manifesting beside her. A sense of warmth, of peace, and of contentment filled her as her hand brushed lightly against the Presence. She wanted to walk with Him forever, after all where else had she ever felt so whole? His sweet breath flowed over her, moving her hair slightly. Her steps never faltered but something called her to look over her shoulder and she smiled when she saw the trail of their footsteps were in sync with each other. She looked to the right and her smile grew wider when she saw the great Lion padding along next to her, "I know You."_

_The Lion leveled His deep golden gaze on her, "And, I know you, Katerina Alambiel." Hearing Him speak her name filled Katerina with such joy and wonder that she threw her arms as far around His neck as they would go and buried her face in His mane. Then a sobering thought crossed her mind and she reluctantly let go of Him and stared at the ground. "Tell Me what troubles you, Child."_

_She shivered as His velvet voice rolled over her, encouraging her to give Him her burden. "I was tempted and I wanted to give in to it."_

_The Lion started walking again and Katerina moved with Him, "I know, Dear One, and I know that you refused the temptation the Sorcerer Jambres offered. That is more important to Me than the fact you were tempted as all beings will be tempted. You know this in your heart, do you not?"_

_She nodded and He continued speaking, "Katerina Alambiel, you are Mine never forget that. I am pleased with you and how you have reacted to the challenges that have been given to you. You know My name both in the other world and in Narnia, which has strengthened you much like your challenges have strengthened you."_

_Katerina looked around then she looked at the Lion, "Am I dead?"_

_Aslan tilted His head at her, "No, Dear One, you are not dead. It is not your time yet."_

_Katerina buried her hand in His mane and inhaled the sweet perfume hanging around Him. "Aslan, why are we walking on the beach?"_

_Aslan's eyes danced with amusement and it made her want to laugh aloud in a way she had not done so in years. "I believe a walk on the beach was something you were thinking about recently, and so here we are."_

_She looked around and shrugged, "Oh, well, I guess that makes sense. Aslan, may I ask You a question?"_

_He smiled at her, "You just did, but you may ask another."_

_She unconsciously tightened her grip on His mane, "Was Jambres telling the truth about my parents?"_

_His quiet reply resonated through the air, "Yes."_

_Katerina licked her lips then she felt her nervousness dissipate as the great Lion turned His head and breathed on her, the sweet combination of His breath and the perfume clinging to His mane served to calm her and restored her courage. "May I know my parents' names?"_

"_Yes."_

_She waited but when the Lion said nothing more, she sighed ruefully. "Let me guess, I already know their names and all I have to do is remember them, right?"_

_Aslan chuckled and Katerina couldn't help smiling as the rich sound hit her, "Yes, Dear One, your memories hold the secrets of your past and your heritage and only you can unlock them. I know your heart's desire and I promise you that one day you will know all of your past and why your path traveled from Narnia to the other world. But, you should bear in mind that not every memory will be a happy one and some will hurt when you do remember them. When the time is right, you will remember all there is for you to remember."_

_Katerina nodded, "I don't suppose You can give me a hint as to where to start looking? All I know is my mother was a Nymph and my father is the source of my Human blood."_

_Aslan smiled at her, "Your mother was a Nymph, but her father was a Centaur. So, Daughter of Eve, you are also a daughter of Narnia. Take that knowledge and bear it well." _

_They came to a stop and Katerina threw her arms around Aslan's neck and whispered, "Will You stay with me?"_

_The Lion rested His heavy paw on her shoulder, "Always." He gave her a Lion's kiss, then whispered in her ear, "It is time for you to wake up, Katerina Alambiel." The last things she saw and heard were His golden eyes and His mighty roar before darkness rose to greet her._

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21 Lenisgale 1001

Peter sighed as he walked towards the tent he was using to hold all these meetings. He was glad that his shoulder and chest were no longer in a state of constant agony, thanks to Lucy and Edmund arriving yesterday afternoon with a large group of reinforcements courtesy of Captain Cletus. Lucy had immediately given him a drop of her cordial and now he only had a thin scar in the middle of his shoulder to serve as evidence of the wound he had received at the hands of a Muhuru assassin. He was glad that he had personally informed Susan of his wishes concerning a certain matter otherwise things would have been worse. After seeing to Peter, Lucy had hurried off to the makeshift healer's ward and quickly restored the most severely injured of their party, including the young Tiger Sarti and a very reluctant Oreius. Susan had managed to keep her distracted long enough for Peter to grab Edmund and explain the situation to him, but it wasn't long before Lucy noticed that Katerina was nowhere to be found and asked for her. Peter had been forced to set his foot down when Lucy wanted to use her cordial to heal her friend. Katerina was in a coma but she had started responding to stimuli and Alithia had told him that now it was more like she was just sleeping instead of suffering from the after effects of Jambres' spell. Therefore, Peter had forbidden the use of the cordial.

He owed Katerina his life even more so than they both owed their lives to Oreius and the others in the rescue party, because without her being there with him, he never would have survived long enough for the rescue party to reach the sorcerer's lodge. He pulled himself out of his thoughts as he ducked into the tent and nodded to the occupants, "Good morn. Oreius, you said you found something of interest in the sorcerer's study, am I correct?"

The Centaur held out a sheaf of papers, "Yes, your majesty, I took these from the sorcerer's desk and when I examined them last night, I found something I thought you should know about as well. Look at the third sheet of paper, majesty."

Peter scanned the writing then he looked up wide-eyed, "Is there any way to confirm what this says?"

Oreius shook his head, "Unfortunately not. Ardon and I went back and searched the study thoroughly but we could find nothing more than what is contained in those drafts. It is possible that one of Jambres' s slaves managed to slip out with anything else that would have supported what is written there."

Peter nodded slowly as he pondered what he had read and how best to deal with it. "For now, the information contained in these papers does not leave this tent. Tell no one what you have read; right now, it will do more harm than good." He paused while Oreius, Ardon, Sherket, and Edmund nodded their own agreement with his decision. "Then it's settled. Let's get back to work."

Peter walked away from the tent still preoccupied with the information those papers held, but he was distracted when Edmund started walking beside him. "Do you need anything, Ed?"

His eleven-year-old brother shrugged slightly, "I was about to ask you the same thing, Peter. Are you going to relieve Susan?"

"Yes." Peter paused then asked, "Do you want to join me, Edmund? I'm sure she would love to hear from you too."

Edmund smiled just a little, "Sure, I'll come. How much you want to beat that she'll hear my voice and wake up just to stop me from whatever outrageous prank she thinks I've concocted?"

Peter chuckled, "Don't you mean to join in on whatever outrageous prank she thinks you've concocted, brother?"

They continued teasing each other in soft tones as they crossed the camp to the tent where Katerina Alambiel had lain unconscious for the past four days. Susan looked up as they entered and gave them a weary smile as she closed her book. Peter whispered, "Any change?"

Susan's smile faded as she shook her head, "No, but she passed the night with nary a twitch, so at least her dreams are peaceful."

Peter leaned down and kissed Susan on the forehead, "All right, Su, you go and get some rest yourself. Ed and I will keep watch for a while."

Susan left the tent while Peter and Edmund settled down on the ground next to Katerina's cot. They set up a chessboard and chatted as they played when they weren't teasing each other. As they set up their third game, Edmund leaned back and stared across the board at his brother. "Peter, have you decided how we are going to honor Katerina for everything she's done for us and for Narnia?"

Peter nodded as he moved one of his pawns forward two spaces, "I'm going to knight her into the Order of the Lion."

Edmund looked up in slight surprise as his hand rested on his own pawn, "Really?"

Peter frowned, "You don't agree?"

Edmund shook his head, "Oh no, it's not that at all. I agree completely and I approve wholeheartedly. It just surprised me to hear you say it, although I'm not sure why now that I think about it." He moved his bishop to take Peter's rook. The brothers play their game in silence for a while, then Edmund spoke up again. "Peter, have you figured out what her chivalric title is going to be?"

"Not yet, Ed."

"Oh, how about 'Pallas'?"

"Katerina Alambiel Pallas? No, definitely not, especially since she would come after us if we did such a thing."

"This is true. Oh, I know how about we just dub her 'The Utterly Terrifying Harbinger of Doom'?"

"Not going to happen."

Edmund paused then he looked up and Peter could see realization strike his brother at almost the exact time it hit him. They whipped around to stare at the cot, which held a very conscious Katerina Alambiel staring back at them with a mildly bewildered look. Peter grinned at her, and then Edmund whooped in excitement and ran to the flap of the tent. Peter tuned him out as he shouted for Alithia and then announced to the entire camp that Katerina was awake. She blinked at him, "How long?"

He poured her a cup of water and handed it to her as he answered, "Four days. You've been in a coma for four days. It's a good thing you woke up because you were starting to worry us."

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Katerina scanned Peter as she sipped the water, which felt so good on her parched throat. Edmund hurried back to stand beside Peter and grinned at her with true delight. She licked her lips then whispered, "You are all right, Peter?"

Peter gave her a reassuring grin, "Yes, I'm good as new, thanks to Lucy's healing cordial. You're the one who took on a sorcerer and then spent four days unconscious, so how are you feeling?"

"Stiff." Edmund snickered at her reply while Peter hid a grin. Katerina mock-glared at both of them right before they all three jumped in surprise as Lucy and Susan rushed into the tent.

"Kat! You're awake! Thank Aslan, we were so worried about you! You're really awake!"

Katerina managed to smile at the nine-year-old as she bounced in place with her hands tightly clasped together. She suspected Lucy was struggling with the urge to fling herself at her in an exuberant hug and compromised by holding her hand out to the girl. Lucy immediately clutched her hand in both of her own, but Katerina caught Susan giving her brothers a questioning look that was answered with twin guilty headshakes. She cleared her throat to get their attention and raised an eyebrow at the three older Pevensies. "Is there something I should know?"

Lucy's smile faded a little even as her grip on Katerina's hand tightened, while Susan dug a hand mirror out of a saddlebag. All four Pevensies watched her closely as Susan handed her the mirror, "When the sorcerer attacked you with that last spell, he managed to change your appearance. It's not horrific but you might find it shocking at first."

Katerina took the mirror in her free hand and raised it up to see her reflection. Her jaw dropped open for a moment, and then she pulled her hair forward to confirm with her own eyes that the mirror wasn't playing tricks on her. No, it was real. Part of her hair had changed colors due to the sorcerer's spell. Only one thing came to mind as she raised the mirror again to see her reflection. _I look like a golden-haired version of Rogue from the X-Men movies! Yep, that's exactly what I look like. Well, at least, I don't absorb anything by touching people._

The absurdity of the situation tickled her funny bone and she shook her head in amusement. She set the mirror down and grinned at the Pevensies, "Honestly, the way you guys started acting I thought it was going to be something horrible. Did you think I would flip out over a little change of hair color? Now if it had fallen out, I would react that way." She paused to curl a strand of white hair around her finger, then laughed softly. "I can live with this though. Anything else I need to know about myself or shall we move on to more important matters like what happened while I was catching up on my rest and food...I'm starving."

The four royals laughed and left with a promise to fetch lunch for all of them. Katerina was glad that she had managed to lighten their mood, which lightened even further when Alithia informed them that she was well on her way to recovery as she left the tent and they came back with food. If all went well, Katerina Alambiel would be back on her feet by tomorrow though she had already promised Alithia that she wouldn't try to do too much or wander too far from the tent.

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22 Lenisgale 1001

It was growing late as Oreius paced through the camp for the first time since he had left yesterday morning with a scouting party to look for any signs of how long the sorcerer had been in the stone lodge just over the Narnian border and whether there were any more Fell Beasts lingering in the area. Their mission had only been half-successful as they could find no indicator of how long Jambres had been haunting the lodge, but neither did they find any fresh signs of Fell Beasts. Ardon hailed him as soon as the other Centaur spotted him walking by. "Oreius, good to see you're back. Come on, you need to go visit Katerina Alambiel. She was rather disappointed to find out you weren't here yesterday and most of today."

Oreius grinned, "She woke up."

Ardon matched his grin as he nodded, "Yes and she said she had something important to tell us once you returned. Apparently, whatever it is she doesn't want to repeat so we're gathering in the meeting tent. Now come on, I promised Alithia, Queen Susan, Queen Lucy, and Katerina Alambiel that I would bring you to the gathering as soon as I saw you arrive and I do not want four females irritated with me at the same time."

Oreius chuckled at Ardon's tone, but he didn't bother to answer as they trotted to the meeting tent. Ardon pulled open the tent flap to reveal a gathering of the four royals, Sherket and Sefu, Alithia, and of course Katerina Alambiel. "Look who has managed to join us tonight after all."

From where she was sitting between Peter and Sherket, Katerina Alambiel looked up and greeted him with a bright smile. "Oreius! I'm glad you made it back, especially since now I can tell y'all what I've learned."

The Centaurs remained standing as Katerina quickly revealed first what Jambres had told her about her past while he had been torturing her and the High King. Oreius flicked his tail, but he didn't say anything yet. And, when Katerina told them about her dream, he was glad he hadn't interrupted. Katerina paused and looked at each of them, "I know this sounds crazy and if it had solely been Jambres' claims, I wouldn't have given it too much thought. But, Aslan was very clear that this is actually true and somehow I have to find this information. I was hoping you might have some ideas on how I should go about finding it."

King Edmund looked over at Katerina, "Well, most of the Humans who used to live in Narnia were nobility. And, Elwood would probably know exactly where any records of nobles' genealogies might be found in the library. Knowing that your mother was a Nymph and the daughter of a Centaur will probably help narrow down your search a lot."

Katerina smirked, "Yes, but not as much as it would have been if I had more than my own name to go on. Oh well, I needed to find something to do in my spare time."

The High King cast Katerina a sly look, "Just don't forget that you do have to show up for the ceremony when we get back to Cair Paravel."

Katerina tilted her head as she stared at Peter, "What ceremony?"

Edmund stifled a laugh as Peter shook his head in a combination of exasperation and amusement. "Like I told you yesterday, I fully intend on knighting you, Katerina Alambiel, as soon as we get home."

Oreius hid his own laugh as Katerina gave Peter a wide-eyed look, "You were serious? That means I actually have to go, don't I?" She looked over at him and Ardon, "I'm not going to be able to get out of this, am I?"

They shook their heads while the kings crossed their arms and answered with an emphatic, "No."

Katerina winced, "I was afraid you were going to say that. Good night."

Sherket leaned over and whispered something in Katerina's ear right before she jumped to her feet and walked to the tent flap, pausing only when Lucy asked her where she was going. She smiled at them all as she cheerfully replied, "Obviously, I'm running away in a very sedate manner."

She ducked out of the tent and left them laughing in her wake. Oreius slipped out after her as soon as he regained control of his laughter. He caught up with her and quietly led her away from the camp until they were standing along the northern shore of the lake close enough to the waterfall that no one could overhear them, but not so close that they needed to shout to hear each other. Oreius looked down at her as she stared up and he gently brushed the streak of white hair framing her face, "I'm sorry, Katerina Alambiel. I wasn't able to keep this happening to you and I wish I had been. What Jambres did to you-"

Katerina caught his hand in hers, "Don't blame yourself, Kentauri, I mean it. This was not your fault, I heard what happened from Ardon and you had your own battles to fight. I'm a big girl, I can take care of myself and this was my challenge to face. I already had to talk to Peter about this yesterday, and now I'm going to tell you what I told him, this was not your fault and if you insist on blaming yourself, I shall be forced to take drastic measures and call in Alithia as reinforcement. Now, I'll make you a deal, Kentauri, you don't blame yourself for something completely beyond your control and I won't run away screaming every time someone mentions I'm going to get knighted. Deal?"

Oreius smirked as he took her proffered hand in his own, "Deal." They walked in silence along the shore for several minutes before he spoke, "Tell me something, Katerina Alambiel, what did Sherket say to you right before you left?"

Katerina laughed softly and brushed several loose strands of hair behind her ear. "She said that the Centaur blood on my mother's side explains my unusual scent much better than her previous assumption that I smelled like Centaur because of a combination of wearing your cloak and spending too much time in the company of Centaurs. Apparently, I need new friends or, at least, more friends."

He looked down at her with amusement, "Well, there are plenty of people for you to meet just around the Cair, so that shouldn't be much of a problem."

"Except for one thing."

"What?"

She looked completely serious as she confided in a low voice, "That would require me to go and _talk _to people."

Oreius couldn't help himself as he started laughing, "Katerina Alambiel, you talk to people all the time."

"No I don't. I talk to you, Ardon, Alithia, Sherket, Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy, oh and sometimes Sefu and Heru. You're not people, you are my friends and I actually like to interact with and talk to you."

Oreius finally regained control and Katerina glanced up at him, "Oreius, does being knighted mean I'm actually going to have to listen to you from now on?"

He shook his head and replied a very dry tone, "Yes, though knowing you, I'm sure you will find a way to still make things...interesting for me and everyone else in Cair Paravel." Katerina laughed and Oreius took the opportunity to get her to turn around and head back to camp before Alithia fussed at_ him_ for allowing Katerina to overexert herself.

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Medea watched in silence as Katerina Alambiel and the Centaur General returned to the camp. She pursed her lips then turned back to the documents in her hands. It was well that Isak and Brutus had been smart enough to remove these from Jambres' lodge before making their way back to her. These papers would have tied Jambres to her, and if the Narnians had seen them, they would have never let their guard down again. It was bad enough that the Centaur had discovered the letter drafts that detailed some of the part Jambres and Jannes had played in Alambiel's life in the other world. Her brother had been a fool. If he had stuck to the plan they had come up with together, he would not have fallen victim to his own trap. She gave him the metaphorical rope he needed for plan, but when he changed things, he hung himself with his own rope.

It really was too bad that Jambres hadn't realize that the High King and the protector of the four thrones were two completely different people, perhaps he wouldn't have changed the plan. She walked away from the scene playing across the ice and allowed the braziers full of purple fire to rise higher as she approached the single throne in the middle of the room. She paused and tossed the papers into the nearest brazier. Then, she gathered the folds of her purple dress and sat in her throne. Alambiel was too young to be of full use to her, so she would give the girl time to age and to remember the information she needed. She would build up her forces and then when the time was right, she would take control of Alambiel and Narnia. Until then she would wait patiently in the shadows as her mother had before her, only she wouldn't make the same mistakes as her mother.

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**A/N: Please Read and Review! Well, that's that for _Shadowed_. I hope y'all have enjoyed reading this story as much as I enjoyed writing it. It might take some time as I'm starting Grad School in January, but I do intend to keep writing stories from the A Light in the Darkness universe, so never fear I shall return with more Katerina and Oreius and the Pevensies. Any ideas on what Katerina's chivalric title should be? Who do you think Kat's parents were? Has anyone figured out who Jambres' and Medea's mother was? Click the little review button below and let me know what y'all think.**

**If there's anything you really, really want to see featured in future stories, please send me a PM or mention it in a review. I would love to hear from you! **

**A/N2: Thank you to Lady Firewing and Dreaminsapphire for being constant and lovely reviewers! And, a big thank you to everyone who has read, favorited, or alerted this story: Alurin, spirit-rider125, iamninja159, and everyone else who remains anonymous.**


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